A Boy, A Snapped Quill, and some Rocks
by Sarafina Knowles
Summary: It started with a dream... and now Hermione Granger's life has been turned to shambles all because of a certain attraction to a certain white-blond boy. Awarded a place on the master list of best Dramionie fics 2009.
1. Discussing Rocks

**White Hair and a Snapped Quill**

Hi everyone. Well, I am one of the latest fans of HP to fall in love with Dramione. It really all started when I went to the midnight screening of HP6 (which was awesome!!!) and I fell in love with Draco Malfoy. So then I went home and stumbled upon this term Dramione, coined by adoring fans, and I knew it would be my next fanfic. So please enjoy, I loved writing this!

**Chapter One: Discussing Rocks**

She was in the library. No, the books were disappearing... now she was in front of a crackling fire in an old stone fireplace. She looked around. Yes, now she was in the Gryffindor common room, with Harry and Ron, who were discussing something... they were talking about the shape of rocks, she realized. How odd.

She glanced around and was startled to see a figure approaching. She squinted at him- he was vaguely familiar. As he stepped closer to her, Hermione recognized the pointed face, the pale skin, the light gray eyes... It was Malfoy. Draco Malfoy.

Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but right then she heard Ron shout, "What are you talking about, Harry? Waffles taste like strong coffee, not decaf!" And suddenly Ron and  
Harry disappeared, and the only people in the room were Malfoy and Hermione.

She somehow was suddenly sitting on the couch, and he smiled at her. Not the usual smirk or sneer that was usually glued to his face when he saw her- a much softer smile. Hermione blushed when she thought that, when Malfoy stopped sneering and actually _smiled_ like a normal person, he looked quite handsome, really.

"Hey, Granger," he said, and sat down next to her. "How's the water boiling?"

Hermione blinked. This was getting stranger and stranger by the second, but she, for some reason, replied, "Quite well, actually."

Malfoy smiled at her again, a sheepish smile, and a bit of his white-blond hair fell over his forehead. She suddenly reached out and brushed it away, and his skin was colder than ice. But she smiled when she touched him. It felt good.

"Granger, I've been thinking-" he started, when suddenly he meowed.

Hermione stared at him. "What?"

He meowed again, and suddenly there was a clawing feeling on her hands. She yelped and her eyes flashed open.

"Crookshanks!" Hermione said furiously. The furry cat gazed at her, and meowed again. He had been clawing at her hands.

Hermione sighed and blinked several times, shaking her head to clear the odd dream from it. She had dreamed about Malfoy. Wow.

"I don't believe it," she muttered, yawning and standing up. Crookshanks meowed at her again, and she sighed. "Are you hungry?" Crookshanks waved his bottlebrush tail in the air, and meowed loudly again.

"Would you quiet that silly animal, Hermione?" came a grumble from the bed above Hermione's. That was Lavender Brown, who had the bed on top of Hermione's, and shared a dorm with her.

Hermione sighed. "Sorry, Lavender," she muttered, rubbing Crookshanks on the head so that a rusty purr came from his throat.

The other two girls who shared a dorm with Hermione were Parvati Patil and Holly Beetwinch. They didn't mind Crookshanks, and usually Lavender didn't either, but recently, since Lavender had taken to snogging Ron whenever he wasn't in a class, she and Hermione's acquaintanceship had turned prickly.

Hermione got out a bowl and picked up her wand from the bedside table, and murmured, _"Foodacorpus._" Immediately, a disgusting blend of cut-up hearts and eyes and such materialized in the bowl, but it must have looked delicious to Crookshanks, because the cat swiped a tongue around his licks and offered his owner a _mrrrow_ of thanks, digging into his breakfast.  
She sighed and turned away to the dresser, beginning to get undressed and put on her robes. On her bedside table was an old clock the color of gold, with a small dragon on it that looked around and twitched his tail, breathing fire every hour. A glimpse at the clock's face told her that it was five o' clock in the morning. She couldn't go down for breakfast for another two hours, and classes did not start until eight.

After getting dressed, she flopped down in front of the mirror that was by the window, and she stared at her reflection. Her hair was not quite as bushy anymore, and thanks to Malfoy and Madam Pomfrey, she no longer had buck teeth. Her slender face and her dark brown eyes gazed at her, but she couldn't help but feel the usual exasperation at her plain appearance.

"If only my hair was _flatter_," she muttered.

"You look quite nice, my dear," the mirror told her gently.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Yes, thank you," she responded politely anyways, but quickly pulled her hair into a sort of curly ponytail before getting up and grabbing her books and some parchment and some ink with a quill, deciding to head out to the common room to catch up on some homework for Potions.  
Of course, it wasn't due until next week, but she preferred to get her homework out of the way, unlike her two best friends, who liked to wait until the last night to do their work, and then usually cried to Hermione for help.

She went out into the common room, pleased that she was alone, and spread out her books and papers on a table, getting out a fresh piece of parchment and opening her bottle of ink, dipping her quill into it neatly, and opening her book.

Right then, the fire uttered a coughing noise, and then crackled, blazing into a beautiful fire. It amused Hermione that the fireplaces were often like the Muggle lights that automatically turned on whenever someone entered a particular room. If the common room was empty, the fire would die down. If someone came in, then it began blazing for them.  
As Hermione admired the flickering flames, she suddenly remembered the fire in her dream, and remembered Malfoy.

His silky voice returned to her. _"Granger, I've been thinking-"  
_  
She shook her head. _Stop it! It was a stupid dream. Now focus on your work,_ she told herself sternly, tearing her gaze away from the fore and flicking her eyes over the words on the book. She read easily for a few seconds, but then they jumbled together and began dancing about the pages when she remembered how handsome Malfoy's hair had looked....  
Having half a mind to smack herself across the head, she hissed to herself, "Malfoy's a _git,_ you know that. Just because he was sweet in your dream doesn't change anything!" She furiously began scribbling down on her parchment, fighting to stay concentrated.

She began to think about her classes, and how she had been dissatisfied with her latest lesson in Defense Against the Dark Arts, and how Seamus had accidentally blown up a pixie in his face. It had been funny, and since Sean had been alright, that had made it even more funny. Snape had been furious, of course, but what was different?

As she kept her mind busy with thoughts of Potions and homework and how sweet her book smelled today, and she was calmly writing something down when Malfoy's face arbitrarily popped into her head, and she remembered how breathtakingly handsome he had been when he had smiled at her.

Hermione blinked and stared hopelessly at her parchment, knowing that there was no way she was going to be able to get it done in a state like this.

***

"Oy! Hermione! You alright?" Ron waved his hand in front of Hermione, who had her hand propped under her chin, and she was staring off at the windows.

She jumped suddenly, and blinked rapidly. She swallowed hard. "I- ah, fine, thanks. Just tired. Er- Crookshanks woke me up early this morning, begging to be fed."

Ron scoffed and grinned at Harry, who was scribbling some last-minute notes onto his homework for Snape in Defense Against the Dark Arts, in which they had been given a week ago.

"Typical cat. Honestly, Hermione, you should really give that thing a drop-kick out the window, he's such a nuisance."

"Crookshanks is not a nuisance- he's my pet, and I actually really like him, Ronald!" Hermione snapped. "Anyways, your girlfriend gave me a hard time, too."

Ron got a look of terror on his face. "What? Lavender? Is she coming?" He looked around quickly.

Harry looked up and exchanged a look of deep amusement with Hermione. "Come off it, Ron, she's a girl, not a bat."

Ron just took a large bite of his sausage and chewed slowly, eyes wide. "She is a bat, for all I know. I tell you, Harry, these girls get scary when they fall in love."  
Hermione stared at him.

"What? You couldn't possibly have taken offense to that- you don't have a boyfriend! Oh, wait, I'm sorry, Mrs. _Krum_," Ron added teasingly, making Hermione smack him playfully.

"What's our first class today, Ron?" Harry asked distractedly, tapping his quill thoughtfully on the table.

Hermione took a gulp of Pumpkin Juice from her goblet and swallowed hard.

Ron frowned and glanced around at the papers he had brought along to breakfast. He shuffled through them, and then withdrew a schedule. His blue eyes flicked over the piece of parchment, and Hermione held her breath. She knew she would never be able to concentrate if Gryffindor had it with-

"Slytherin," Ron confirmed, face drooping with dismay. "Shoot. That means Malfoy, Harry."

Harry shook his head. "Pity," he muttered, before turning to Hermione. "Hey, Hermione... you probably understand this homework... do you think you could-?"

"I thought Defense Against the Dark Arts was your best class, Harry," Hermione said absentmindedly, staring at her toast. She would just have to _not_ look at Malfoy. Maybe, if she didn't, then she could get through this class...

"Well, yeah, until Snape became the professor," Harry replied, sighing and sliding his fingers through his messy jet-black hair, revealing his lightning-shaped scar for just a moment.

Dumbledore stood up slowly from his place at the long table that sat before all the students and everyone began to quiet down as they looked up at him.

"I hope you all have gotten your fill," he beamed down at them. "Now, it is time for you to depart for your classes. Have an excellent day!" he cried, before sitting back down as the many plates and dishes and piles of toast, eggs, sausage, soap, bagels, muffins, cereals, and fruit disappeared with a wave of his wand, and all the students began to get up and scramble away from the main hall.

"Wonder what we'll be doing in Charms today?" Ron asked no one in particular as he, Harry, and Hermione made their way out of the large wooden doors and started to climb up the moving stairwells.

"Who knows. I just hope Flitwick doesn't run out on us again and we get some ghost as a sub. Emergency choir meeting, indeed," Harry scoffed.

Hermione would have laughed at Harry's sarcasm had she not been so distracted, because right at that moment, she saw a particular white-blond haired boy load the staircase with them.

"Why if it isn't little Potter and the Weasel. Ah, and look, it's the Weasel's little girlfriend over there," Malfoy drawled.

Hermione blinked, and before Ron or Harry could say anything back, she snapped, "You're one to talk, Malfoy. You look like you got a whole bottle of Bleach dumped on your head!" Hermione wasn't sure if he knew what Bleach was, since it was a Muggle product, but when his pointed face turned to her and his eyes widened with surprise as he took offense, she decided he knew what it was.

"Careful, Granger. If you talk too much, those buck-teeth of yours might get stuck to your bottom lip!" he growled, gray eyes sparking, even though he knew she no longer had buck-teeth.  
Ron, Harry, Crabbe, and Goyle, who hadn't spoken yet, all watched in amazement as Hermione and Malfoy shot it off. Hermione felt annoyance making her palms get sweaty, and she stalked up to him, her face inches from his. Up close, she was taken aback by how handsome he was. She also realized he had changed his hair style- instead of that obnoxious, slicked back do, it was now parted to the side, and it looked soft.

She tried to stay concentrated as she growled, "If I were you, I'd be nicer to girls, especially ones who hate _ferrets!_"

Malfoy blinked, and.... impossible... but- was that an _impressed_ gleam in his gray eyes? He just stared at her, jaw locked, and Hermione smiled triumphantly at him, wheeling around. She was pleased to see that a bit of her hair smacked Malfoy in the face as she turned, and she marched away.

She left Ron and Harry to, for once, be as startled as Malfoy at Hermione's bold move, and they glanced at him before running after her.

As Malfoy watched Hermione and the others go, the corner of his lip twitched upward, and Crabbe and Goyle exchanged surprised looks behind Malfoy's back.

"Alright, class, settle down, settle down," Professor Flitwick squeaked. He glanced around as his Slytherin and Gryffindor students quieted down and got to their seats. He nodded at them, from his usual spot behind his desk, on a pile of particularly thick books, and cried out, "Today we will start to master the Colorendo Charm."

"Blimey- _that's_ a new one. Don't you ever wonder who comes up with these names, Harry?" Ron muttered, grinning.

Harry muffled a laugh as he and Ron attempted to concentrate on what their dwarf teacher was saying.

"The Colorendo charm is in fact extremely useful. While Muggles like to- what's the word?- ah, yes,_ paint_- they often take hours and days to paint a wall or a table. However, our Colorendo charm enables us to not need any paint. We select any color we desire and our walls can be restored with not hassle, no mess, and no brushes. There is paper set before each of you- I will have a student demonstrate before we begin."

"This could end badly," Harry muttered.

As Flitwick looked around quickly for an applicable student, Hermione's gaze drifted across the room, to where Malfoy was sitting next to Crabbe and Goyle. He had such adorable hair...

"Ah, Miss Granger!" Flitwick squeaked, and she jumped, looking at her professor.

"Yes, sir?" she asked quickly.

"Would you like to show the class how to perform the Colorendo charm? I will guide you, but I suspect you'll do just fine..."

Hermione nodded swiftly.

"Very well, then. What is your favorite color, Miss Granger?"

"White-blond," Hermione blurted without thinking.

Everyone blinked and looked at her oddly, muttering. Ron and Harry glanced at her, looking concerned. Hermione immediately went red, wishing she could melt away. She felt someone staring at her, and she glanced over quickly to see Malfoy staring at her, his expression torn between disgust and surprise.

"I- I meant, violet, sir."

"Ah, yes, right then- take your wand, Miss Granger, yes, and wave the end just slightly. Yes, yes, you've got it. Now point it at your parchment and say, 'Colorendo'!"

Hermione took her wand into her sweaty hand and stared fiercely at it, determined to get this right. She waved the tip slightly and said firmly, _"Colorendo!"_

Immediately her parchment became a beautiful shade of violet, and Flitwick began clapping, and the class reluctantly followed, still suspicious about her earlier blurting.

"Well done, Miss Granger, like usual! Now, class, do exactly what Miss Granger did! Think of your favorite color, and remember not to put too much pressure on the wand- no, Longbottom, _gently_ wave the tip, don't whip the whole wand around! Finnigan, that's close, just a little faster than that- Miss Parkinson, well done, you are very close as well!"

Through the rest of class, Hermione fiercely concentrated on her work, and did not look at Malfoy once, though she could feel him watching her the whole time.

Finally Charms let out, and they swept through the doors with Flitwick wishing them a good day.

"What was that all about back there?" Ron asked Hermione, brows raised.

"You feeling alright? You've been acting strangely all day," Harry observed, sounding concerned for his friend.

Hermione was clutching her books to her chest, and she looked nervously up at them. "Of course I'm fine," she said harshly. "Come on, I'm just tired. We've got Potions next, right Ronald?"

"Er, right. With Hufflepuff," Ron said uncertainly, glancing at Harry.

Students began spilling from their classes, and as Hermione and her two friends began to mingle with the crowd, there came a very familiar voice from behind them.

"Eh, Granger, what are you playing at?" Hermione closed her eyes, biting her lip, as Malfoy caught up with them, Crabbe and Goyle at his side.

"Let us alone, Malfoy," Ron growled.

Malfoy glared at him. "Is your name _Granger_?" he asked, gaze snapping back to Hermione. "You checking out my hair, Granger?"

Hermione stared at him, and she opened her mouth angrily. "If you think I have a thing for ferrets, then you might as well and go accuse Ron for snogging a hippogriff!"

Malfoy just laughed with Goyle, and he walked away with his two bodyguards.

"I swear, he's like a piece of nasty food always been crammed down our throats!" Harry said, eyes hard.

Hermione just nodded breathlessly. "I know. He's such a... a git. Come on, let's go."

As she turned away and continued along the the corridors with her friends, she couldn't get his pale, annoying, _adorable_ face out of her mind.

**Please review!!!! :)**


	2. What is this?

**Chapter Two: What is this?**

Hello to whoever is reading this- here's the second chapter. I hope you guys like it. I'm starting teasers at the end of each chapter now- if I can remember each time! You know, just to keep you excited. ;P

Disclaimer: You see, it's this really funny thing. A lady named J.K. Rowling owns HP. Not me. Funny how things work like that. 

The next day, it was pouring down rain outside, and lightning had struck down on the Quidditch field. Currently the teachers were repairing the field, but this disappointed Harry, as he had been expecting a Quidditch practice that morning.

Hermione had half a mind to buy some kind of food from Fred and George to be excused from her classes that day. This startled her, as she hardly ever wanted to miss a class on purpose, but she decided against it in the end, and decided to try and make this day a better one than yesterday.  
Hermione had had another dream last night. When she woke up from the fierce winds slamming against the old castle, making it creak, she had nearly forgotten it. She struggled to remember it, and somehow, she had a dark guess that Malfoy had been in the dream.

Again.

But she had no exact proof, just fuzzy images that flitted away like sand falling from her palm, and she forced the dreams and Malfoy from her mind and had done her homework with Holly and Parvati early that morning.

Determined to put on a happy face, Hermione went down to breakfast that morning alone, striding down the corridor alone. She was early for breakfast, and there were only twenty or so other students having breakfast.

Harry nor Ron were down there, but Ginny, Neville, and Luna were down there, so she sat with them for a change.

"Hello, Hermione," Ginny greeted her, smiling gently.

"Hi Hermione!" Luna greeted her in her usual soft, mystified voice.

Hermione blinked and glanced at Luna, who was wearing large earrings that lit up like light bulbs and made a sort of buzzing noise, and around her neck was a golden chain with several key chains locked to it. They were all animals, and alive and making squeaky roaring noises.

"Erm... hi, Luna," Hermione said with a forced grin, trying not to stare at Luna's newest odd pieces of jewelry.

"Hermione, would you help me with McGonagall's homework? I don't understand the last part," Neville said, his face looking anxious.

"Oh - er- yes, sure."

His face broke out in a relieved grin, and he took a large bite of toast.

"Have you seen Harry and Ron this morning?" Ginny asked.

"I expect they're getting dressed," Luna said faintly. "I used my All-Mighty Glasses to look through the ceiling, and I saw Ron putting a shirt on."

Hermione blinked. "Oh- that's, uh, great, thanks for that."

Ginny frowned at Hermione, concerned. "Are you okay? Lately you've seemed... unhappy. Harry and Ron are worried about you, you know," she added softly.

Hermione sighed. She was grateful that everyone seemed to care about her well-being, but it was getting a little annoying. "Trust me, I'm fine." She took a bite of eggs.

Ginny smiled and shrugged. "Well, alright then. Oh, have you heard about the rumor going around about Snape?"

Whatever rumor was going around, however, Hermione did not learn, because right then she heard something drop behind her. She turned around and saw several pieces of parchment that someone had dropped. Instinctively, she got up and began helping whoever it was.  
She gathered the papers and straightened up, and finally looked up at whoever had dropped the papers. She gasped and stared.

A pair of cool gray eyes stared coldly back at her.

"Er- Malfoy! Well, here you are. I- didn't realize it was-"

Malfoy stared at her. "Thank you, Granger," he said, face wiped of emotion. Hermione's brown eyes locked with his, and he seemed to be about to say something else when he shook his head and began quickly walking away.

Hermione gazed after him, mind swirling with thoughts, and she absentmindedly sat back down.

"I can't believe it. Did- you just help Draco Malfoy?" Ginny asked in astonishment. Hermione blinked, and looked at Luna's and Neville's surprised faces. Well, Neville looked surprised, at least,  
Luna just looked puzzled, like usual.

"I had no idea," Luna said softly.

Hermione's heart rate sped up. "Of- of what?" she stammered.

She stared at Hermione. "Malfoy's eyes are gray, not blue. I'm going to have to tell off Colin for that."

Hermione relaxed. _She didn't know._ But then again,_ what_ had she been so fearful of Luna to know? About her dreams of Malfoy? They meant nothing- they were just stupid dreams. Anyways, it wasn't like she had a _crush_ on Malfoy or anything. He was a complete git. She just happened to be... well, suddenly having a lot of run-in's with him.

Ginny was eying Hermione thoughtfully. "So your favorite color is white-blond, huh?"

"Shut up!" Hermione hissed, unable to help a grin from spreading over her face. That was completely _not_ what was going on.  
Right?

Hermione held her forehead as if she had a headache, and she closed her eyes, heart pounding. Her heart was aching, she could feel the splitting pain in her chest. And her throat felt like it was burning. There was something swirling in her stomach, something churning. She felt excited and exuberant and unhappy at the same time.

What was going on? It was like she was a pot, a people were randomly throwing fistfuls of emotions into her water, making her boil and fuzz.  
_  
What is this?_

Harry and Ron came lumbering up to the table. "Hey, Ginny," Ron greeted his younger sister.

"You're up early, Hermione," Harry said with a friendly smile.

Hermione stared up at him before grabbing her books and abruptly running away from them, racing past rows of students and leaving them all. She needed to go to the bathroom, somewhere quiet and peaceful to try and sort out these stupid feelings.

She rounded a corner and ran down an empty hallway, passing by a glowing Nearly-Headless Nick and throwing herself into the doors of a bathroom. She threw her books down on the floor and scrambled over to the sink, gasping.

She clutched the sink and breathed hard, heart thudding in her chest. She had never felt like this before. What was it? _What is this?_

Staring at her reflection, Hermione swallowed hard and tried to calm down. She hurriedly turned the little silver knob and water began flowing from the faucet. She got her hands wet and splashed some on her face.

"Who's that?" came a voice.

Hermione quickly turned off the water to see the ghost of a girl floating towards her.

"Moaning Myrtle! I mean- Myrtle, how- how nice to see you!" Hermione breathed, plastering on a smile for the dead girl.

Myrtle floated down and seemed to fly over to she was standing right next to Hermione. "Oh, hello. It's Hermione, isn't it? I remember you from your second year, when you got that cat face!" She began laughing.

"Shut up, Myrtle!" Hermione snapped, gaze flicking back to the mirror. "I'm not in the mood!"

Myrtle quieted immediately and stared at Hermione, frowning. "What's wrong with _you_?"

Hermione wiped at her face. "Just _go away_, Myrtle!"

Myrtle cackled suddenly, and Hermione whipped around, ready to throw her books through the pale ghostly girl, when suddenly Myrtle said, "I understand- this is about a boy, isn't it? Isn't it? I'm right, aren't it?" she squealed.

Hermione's glare softened, and she sighed, sinking down so that she was sitting on the floor. "I- I don't know. I mean, I just- I feel so-"

"Empty? Sad? Excited when you think of him?" For once, Myrtle seemed to have dropped her morbid antics and was actually acting seriously.

Hermione's heart fluttered when she realized that Myrtle was naming everything she had been feeling every since the first dream with Malfoy. "I- well, yes."

Myrtle said, sad now, "B- before I died, I had a crush on this one boy. His name was Doggar Lickpot. He was very handsome- everyone liked him, especially Madam Hooch, since he was brilliant at Quidditch. He never knew I existed, I think. But I didn't care."

For the first time in... well, her whole life... she felt a deep sympathy for Myrtle, and automatically reached out to touch her on the shoulder, not remembering what she was a ghost until her hand had plunged into the cold, strange mistiness that Myrtle was made of.

"Er- sorry," she apologized hastily.

Myrtle didn't notice, just swung her head towards Hermione. "I think that love is stupid. It only brings pain. You should listen to me before something happens that makes you _regret_ this."

With that, tears began to well in her eyes, and she quickly zoomed up into the air and flew across the bathroom, wailing.

If Myrtle's words had been meant to make Hermione feel comforted, their effect had quite the opposite effect. She just bit her lip and ducked her head between her knees, willing herself _not_ to cry, _not_ to cry...

Suddenly, Hermione jumped to her feet, heart racing, and she gasped. No! Class! She furiously grabbed her books from the sink and pelted from the bathroom, trying to unscramble her terribly skewed mind to remember which class she had.

Transfiguration! Of course! She quickly raced down the corridors, whipping around the corners and pelting past hundreds of wooden doors, all leading to classes, which were now in session.

And she was late!

Heart thudding in her chest, Hermione finally found the correct corridor and sprinted down it, counting to the sixth door and quickly pushing it open, breathlessly bounding into the class.

In it, McGonagall was holding up a large, golden plate, which she tapped her wand on, and it immediately transformed into a rather confused looking lizard.

"P- Professor!" Hermione gasped. "I'm so sorry I'm-" She blinked suddenly, staring at the blank, unfamiliar faces of the students. With a creeping horror, she realized that she had rudely interrupted the wrong class. Her face turned a brilliant shade of red.

"Miss Granger?" McGonagall asked sharply, tiny eyes peering at her over her spectacles. "What on earth are you doing?"

Hermione felt like sinking into the floor and disappearing. "I- I am _so_ sorry, I'm- er, okay, goodbye." She shakily stepped away, and her face burned even more as she heard sniggers from the students that they didn't even attempt to muffle.

"Miss Granger, do you know where you're going?" McGonagall asked, and to a student who did not know her well, they would only see a strict, looming face. But to Hermione, who knew  
McGonagall rather well for being a student, she saw the faintest trace of concern in McGonagall's eyes.

Hermione blinked, and opened her mouth shamefacedly to admit that she wasn't sure, but it came to her in a flash, and she angrily clapped a hand to her forehead. "Yes- yes, I do. Please excuse me, Professor," she stammered, nodding respectfully and backing out quickly, shutting the wooden door.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts," she groaned, quite fancying the idea of kicking herself. Spinning around, she began to march determinedly down the corridor, now furiously grouping her thoughts.

_What_ was going on with her? She was never late for a class- she had practically forgotten her whole schedule! Why was she acting so strange?

A sudden face popped into her mind, and Hermione blushed, then blinked rapidly and tried to push away the hauntingly handsome face with the pale blond hair. Concentrate!

She swerved a corner and ran breathlessly up some flights of moving stairs before pushing open the door to Snape's classroom.

In it, Snape was bristling at a frightened-looking girl with thick blond hair. "Do you think this is a place for children, Miss Grayworth? You don't want to join the class outside since you don't wish to _get your clothes dirty_?"

"M- my mum said-"

"Do I _look_ like I care what you dear mummy told you?" Snape spat.

Hermione quickly recognized the girl as June Grayworth, a very sweet but timid girl, who, like many students, was terribly frightened by Snape.

As soon as the door banged against the stone wall, announcing Hermione's late arrival, they all froze and slowly swiveled their heads over to stare at her. Snape looked quite startled for a second to see the perfect Miss Granger at his door, late and breathless. Ron and Harry looked over and seemed relieved to finally see her. To her horror, they were grouped with Slytherin- _again._

_Why was it always them?!_

As the rest of Griffendor peered over to look at her, all of Slytherin turned their heads. Most were sneering, delighted that _she_ was the one in trouble now, and Hermione's brown eyes traveled over each of their faces, her heart nearly stopping when she looked at Malfoy. He was staring at her with a very cold, blank expression, his gray eyes never harder. And yet he still looked undeniably and ridiculously good-looking.

"Miss.... Granger." Snape said her name slowly, as if he was deliberately trying to put fear in her. And if that was what he wanted, then he sure got it, because Hermione's pulse immediately accelerated.

"I'm so sorry, I- I was late because-"

"I am not_ particularly_ interested in why you were late," Snape said coldly, still speaking slowly, each word dropping from his mouth like a stone.

Hermione swallowed, staring uneasily at him. She couldn't possibly explain why she was late anyways, because she_ herself_ was still not sure why she had been so miserable, and gone to the bathrooms... it had been that feeling...

"This is... disappointing..." Snape drawled, slowly straightening up and turning towards Hermione. June Grayworth immediately retreated into the group of protected classmates, her big, blue eyes staring at Hermione in severe sympathy.

"Y- yes, Professor?"

"You are usually not late. You are almost always the first in my classroom, something that never fails to dampen my mood. You must be hanging around Weasley and..." Snape paused, glancing at Harry disdainfully. "_Potter... _too much. Have you become a slacker?"

Slytherin began to snicker, and Hermione would have felt awful had she not realized with shock that Malfoy was not, for perhaps the first time ever, laughing along with his classmates at her. He was staring at her, as if puzzled, and though his face was still cold, there was something different about his expression now...

"If you would stop staring at Malfoy," Snape said, his lips curling in a cruel smile as he made Hermione twice as embarrassed, her face flushing. Malfoy also looked down at his feet, his pale cheeks turning reddening just slightly. "Thank you," he hissed, quickly sweeping back to his students. "Now," he drawled. "before Miss Granger rudely interrupted, I believe I was..." He glanced at June, who cowered. "Starting to arrange partners. You see, Miss Granger, before you came in late, I was just telling the class that today we will be having a... joint... class with Hagrid." He looked revolted at the thought, and Hermione felt a defensive flare for her half-giant friend, but knew it was wise to bite tongue for now.

"We will be studying a creature called Invisicores. They are... interesting... animals, that are invisible when confronted by an... enemy. Therefore, are useful in battle, and are considered both... a study for Care of Magical Creatures and Defense Against the Dark Arts. Professor Dumbledore ordered this," he added sharply, as if wanting to clarify that it was the utter last thing he wanted to have a joint class with Hagrid.

"Now, Miss Granger, you need a partner," Snape said, clearing his throat. "Before you go running to your two beloved friends," he scowled, glaring at Ron and Harry, who looked quite alarmed for Hermione, "I believe I shall choice a... better... partner." His gaze passed over all the students, and finally a cold smile curled his lips. "You seemed interested in Malfoy earlier... perhaps it will please you that I am assigning him as your partner on this assignment?"

Hermione bit her lip, and tried not to let the resentment show on her face as she nodded stiffly towards Snape, who looked quite delighted by his effect on her.  
The thing that really made her heart pound, however, was Snape's words, because he had no idea how close his cold words had come to the truth. She was, indeed, pleased to be Malfoy's partner. A tiny, silent part of her that had never spoken before was suddenly leaping for joy when thinking of being so close to this mysterious, beautiful boy...

Feeling disgusted at herself, she grudgingly made her way across the room, and stood in front of Malfoy, who stared at her coldly. Snape's words had embarrassed him as well, as his cheeks were rather pink, and he did not acknowledge Hermione. She hesitantly stood beside him, not daring to meet anybody's eye.

The whole room, Slytherins and Griffendors alike, were both turning their heads and whispering, wondering what on earth Snape was playing at. If anyone suspected that Hermione liked Malfoy... well, she would stun them, or something, to teach them a lesson, because she did _not_, in fact, like him.

However, as Snape began to enjoy himself in partnering students who loathed the other, Hermione felt a tingle of unease. She was no longer sure if even that was right.

She tried to make herself think of all the terrible things Malfoy had done. Gotten them in trouble time over and over again. Humiliated them hundreds of time. Angered them, been rude to them, hurt them, ratted on them. Made her buck-teeth teeth huge temporarily. Made Ron throw up slugs. Been cruel to Hagrid during third-year over Buckbeak. She remembered that she had even punched him for that last thing.

And yet... and yet... as the ill-paired students began to follow Snape out the door, out to the school grounds where Hagrid was waiting excitedly, she couldn't bring herself to hate Malfoy.

"Alright, well, 'ello there!" Hagrid rumbled, beaming down at their sour faces. Hagrid hadn't seemed to notice that each student was paired with a very wrong match, and glaring at the other venomously every couple seconds. Hermione peered over the crowd and saw Harry partnered with an annoyed-looking Crabbe, and Ron glancing darkly at a bristling Pansy Parkinson.

"Welcome, Snape, welcome," Hagrid cheerfully greeted the silent teacher. He was clearly pleased about these Invisicores, and made him overlook his student's faces, as well as the cold one of Snape.

Snape just stared at him with great dislike, with the exact expression that one might look at a snotty tissue left out on the table.

"Er- righ', then. Terday we'll be lookin' at Invisicores. Amazin' creatures, Invisicores, y' see-"

"Can we.... get on.... with the lesson, Hagrid?" Snape drawled, crossing his arms and taking a deliberate step away from the burly man.

Hagrid looked slightly put out, but he nodded quickly. "O'- o' course, Snape. Righ', then, so yer all have partners? Righ', so you'll be lookin' for the creatures- they only hide from enemies, see, so... so saying that yer little heads don't get the idea o' hurting him... you'll see 'em, big furry creatures that look like a cat an' a lizard cross. First three partners back with their Invisicore ge' a treat, eh? Righ' then, off yer go!" Hagrid beamed at them, and everyone was stone silent.

Neville hesitantly rose his hand. Hermione noticed with frustration that he was partnered with a sour-faced Goyle. "But- but sir, are you saying you... you let them loose?"

"You bet yer bottom I did," Hagrid rumbled, smiling as if pleased with his idea. "Thirty in all, an' their sweet as puppies. Go on, now, get going!"

Snape exchanged a deeply exasperated look with his Slytherin students, and waved his hand dismissively. "Go on," he said coldly.

Everyone glanced at their partner before hesitantly starting to move away from the hut and their teachers, spreading out and raking the fields with their eyes for any signs of an animal that looked like a cat crossed with a lizard.

Hermione was gripping her fingers together, which were pale, and her knuckles were white. As she and Malfoy began to separate from the other students and break off until they were practically alone, the awkward, tense silence between the two of them was choking. Hermione had no idea what to do.

Malfoy seemed to be half-heartedly looking around, and Hermione was barely thinking about their lesson. For one of the only times in her life, she was not concentrated on her lesson, but instead on the handsome boy walking beside her. She stole fleeting glances toward him whenever she could, trying to act innocent, and each time hungrily taking in more of his features.  
He had changed his hair. Like she had noted before, it was no longer slicked-back, but instead parted to the side. His hair was incredibly pale and almost a milky-blond, and as the sun's feeble rays caught it, his hair seemed to catch fire, and it glowed with a breathtaking beauty Hermione had never noticed before.

She could not stop staring at his gorgeous face and his glowing hair, and Malfoy glanced at her, gray eyes narrowing. Hermione's neck instinctively tightened as she wanted to turn her head, but she forced herself to not turn her head and instead meet Malfoy's gaze.

"Sorry," Malfoy muttered, looking away and putting his hand to his hair as they passed by the spot of sunlight. They were beginning to walk over a wet part of the fields, and with each step they took, their feet were sucked into the muddy, slippery ground, and they had to fight for each new step.

"For- for what?" Hermione asked in confusion.

Malfoy looked quickly at her. "My hair. When it gets in the sun, it gets all bright and looks weird."

Hermione blinked gently at him, and suddenly someone said, "It doesn't look weird. It looks handsome." To her utter shock, she slowly realized that she had said that.

Malfoy blinked and glanced at her, startled. Then a cocky look spread over his face. "I was right. You _have_ been checking out my hair!"

Hermione's eyes widened and she gasped, looking away and biting her lip. After a second, she chanced a look over at Malfoy, and found him still looking at her, that annoying cocky look on his face. She blinked, and, suddenly, his cocky look looked more_ charming_ than _annoying,_ and she found herself grinning.

Malfoy blinked at her, and, to her surprise, a tiny smile began to grace his lips as he caught her grinning at him. He caught himself quickly and forced the look off his face, clearing his throat.

They walked on in silence, not daring to look at each other, and certainly not daring to speak. They scanned the ground for any sign of a cat-lizard cross, but when they saw nothing, they began to loose interest, and the assignment quickly dissolved into a nerve-wracking game of _who's-gonna-crack-first?_

It had stopped raining awhile ago, and word had traveled that the teachers had gotten the field back to its proper condition. But no charm could stop the ground from being wet and sloppy, and it continued to suck at their feet. The sky was rather gloomy, with several shades of gray splotched around up there, and it was a little chilly.

Hermione bit her lip and wrung her hands, trying to ward off the numbness on them. She was pretty sure that the coldness wasn't the only contribution to their coldness, but that suspicion didn't change their temperature.

Malfoy must have cracked first and glanced at her, because he saw her wringing her cold hands. She heard him open and close his mouth a couple times before finally saying, "Are your hands cold?"

Hermione blinked, and looked over at him, torn between being touched and being shocked. Was Draco Malfoy actually being _concerned_ about her well-being?  
"Well, er, yes, actually."

Malfoy hesitantly got out his wand, and drew it at Hermione's hands. She blinked, half-wondering if she should be alarmed, but knew that she trusted him anyways. "_Warmose_," he murmured, and immediately a gentle, glowing light danced from the tip of his wand onto Hermione's outstretched hands. It spread over them, and she felt warmer instantly.

She smiled nervously at him, glancing at him, then at her hands, and then at him again. Malfoy's face looked like a partial scowl, and a partial grin. It was very startling to see such an expression so close to a kind _smile_ on his face, and it actually made him seem to glow.

"Thanks," she murmured as the light flickered and died, and he quickly put his wand back in his pocket.

Malfoy just blinked and glanced at her, nodding slowly. "Your welcome," he said, voice sounding like he was confused by his behavior.

"Um, don't you think we should be getting back?" Hermione asked, glancing around. They'd walked quite a distance without realizing it, and it wasn't a bad idea to start heading back now, as neither of them were interested in finding an Invisicore or getting a prize.

"Oh... yeah, we should, I suppose," Malfoy agreed, blinking, and Hermione turned away in the opposite direction.

But she didn't miss the slight smile on Malfoy's lips as she turned around.

**A/N: You know, I write long chapters. I guess that's just the way I am: I hate it when you get a great story but the chapter is, like, TINY. I say that you people deserve long chapters! (Let me hear a YEAH!!!!!!!) ;P**

Teaser: Luna and Ginny nodded, and Hermione took a deep breath, heart pounding. "Please don't judge me," she added softly. "But... two days ago... I dreamed about Draco Malfoy."

Well, please review! I guess I'll just have to see how badly you guys want the next chapter... ;)


	3. Can't Deny It

**Chapter Three: Can't Deny It**

**Disclaimer: If this was mine, Draco and Hermione would totally be in love by now, not resentful enemies. ;P**

The following day, Hermione found herself more happy and more concentrated than yesterday. She was able to find all her classes on time, with the slight assistance from some sympathetic paintings, and even managed to pay attention in Herbology, the only class of the day they shared with Slytherin.

At breakfast, when Harry and Ron had eagerly asked if Hermione had done some sort of bewitchment on Malfoy while being his partner yesterday, she had to curtly tell them that it really wasn't half bad. Their suspicions were growing, she knew, but, being typical boys, they lost interest in Hermione's opinion when the food arrived.

During their single class together, Hermione and Malfoy never acknowledged each other, but something had changed. Something was certainly different.

After their somewhat gentling intercourse yesterday, Malfoy didn't look _quite_ as cold when he had to look at her. Hermione wasn't _quite_ as impatient when asking if he could pass the clippers. And though Hermione took a great deal of effort to not steal a look at Malfoy more than once or twice, she felt his gaze on her several times, and she was quite certain that she did not imagine the hushed, curious whispers around her when he did this.

When they were let out and went to lunch, Hermione felt rather warm as she sat down on the long bench across from Harry and Ron, who were having a heated discussion about the Serpentweed that had nipped Ron in the face in Herbology.

Luna and Neville were sitting with a different group of Griffendor students (that is, Neville looked rather confused, scratching his head with a quill and pointing his half-finished homework towards an older-looking boy, and Luna was gazing at her food dreamily), so it was only Ron, Ginny, Harry, and Hermione.  
Hermione glanced around the hall. All around her, students were laughing and talking and eating, some hastily writing something onto pieces of parchment, and her gaze traveled to the Slytherin table. At that precise moment, a boy got up from Ravenclaw, the table that sat between Griffendor and Slytherin, and Hermione's eyes widened when she got a perfect view of Malfoy, who was half-heartedly eating a chicken-leg and listening to something Goyle was saying.

Even though he was across the room from her and she was unable to make out his perfect features, Malfoy still looked utterly beautiful, dressed in his dark robes, his gleaming Slytherin badge reflecting off the enchanted ceiling, which showed a blazing sun behind papery clouds in a blue sky.  
"This is the second day in a row she's done this, don't be offended," Ron was suddenly saying to his sister.  
Hermione jumped suddenly and looked around wildly at her friends. "I- what?"

"You're zoning out," Ron said, through a mouthful of mashed potatoes.

"Am I?" Hermione asked faintly.

Harry exchanged a look with Ginny. "I think it's time you tell us what's bothering you, Hermione. You never act like this. Usually it's Ron or me acting like a fool," he added, and Ron cracked a smile before taking a forkful of green-beans.

Hermione's face fell. "A fool?" she asked. "You- am I really? I'm so sorry, I just..." She sighed and shook her head.

A sudden wave of golden sunlight came through the tall, thin windows of the hall, and the beams made Hermione squint. But something else caught her eye.

Over Ginny's shoulder, the Ravenclaw boy still hadn't returned, presumably at the bathroom, and Hermione could still spot Malfoy among the crowd. The golden sunlight had touched his hair, and she was drawn back to yesterday, when she first saw Malfoy's hair get caught in the light. It was now glowing like brilliant white flames, and she felt a smile tug the corners of her mouth.

"You're doing it again," Ron mumbled, now chewing on a piece of cucumber, which, as his face reported, did not taste very good.

Hermione gasped and bit the inside of her lips, glancing at her hands in her lap. She hesitantly looked up at her friends, feeling sheepish, and they were all staring at her. Well, Harry and Ginny were- Ron seemed awfully busy getting himself a piece of turkey- but the looks on Ginny and Harry's faces were that of concern and puzzlement.

"I think," Ginny said slowly, "that Hermione and I are going to go on a walk."

Hermione glanced quickly at her. "But what about-"

"We have a free period next," Ginny gently reminded her. She stood up and smiled at Hermione. "Come on. Please."

Hermione knew that Ginny wasn't asking her to go- she was ordering her. Supposing that a gulp or two of fresh air would get Malfoy out of her brain, she got up and said, "See you guys later," to Ron and Harry, before following Ginny out of the hall.

Out in the corridor before the main doors, a girl with long and wavy, washed-out blond hair was standing before a painting of a young boy holding a cat in his lap, talking to it. One glimpse said enough for Hermione.

"Hello, Luna," Ginny greeted the girl.

Luna turned around, and smiled faintly at them. "Hello. Did you know... this boy said he doesn't know what to name his cat. He has been sitting here for three hundred years and doesn't know what to name his cat."

Hermione was too tired to explain to Luna that the title of the artwork was, "Boy with Unnamed Cat", and Ginny said, "Well, that's rather sad, but Hermione and I are off on a walk. Would you care to join us?"

Luna smiled and nodded.

Five minutes later, the three girls had made their way out of the doors and onto the school grounds, and were now walking around the lake. It was warm today, the sun beaming down at them from high in the sky, an unusual cheerful day.

Unfortunately for Hermione, she wasn't feeling all that cheerful that morning.

After they'd walked a ways, Ginny said, "Hermione, you need to tell us what's been bothering you. It's affecting your school-life and we're all worried."

"You _are_ acting rather abnormal, for being Hermione. Do you suppose a snagglewort crawled into her mind through her ears at night?" Luna asked softly, tipping her head like a cat.  
Ginny pressed her lips together and shook her head with amusement. "I don't think a snagglewort is the problem here, Luna. I think it's something much more... different."

Hermione blinked, wondering what one earth she would do. Okay, so she could be straight with them. But what exactly was there to tell? She really wasn't sure what these aching, trembling feelings were all about. She had never felt them before. It was as if a part of her had been frozen all her life, and suddenly they were awake and raving.

"I- I'm not really sure," she admitted.

Ginny saw the truth in her voice, and she narrowed her eyes thoughtfully as she stepped around a turtle that was slowly dragging itself across the path. "Let's start easy, then. When did you start acting funny?"

Hermione bit her lip, and remembered her dream about Malfoy. If anyone knew about that...

"Two days ago," she reluctantly confessed.

"Did something strange happen? Like a dream, perhaps?" Luna asked faintly.

Hermione blinked, and got the feeling that Luna already knew what was wrong with her. "I- er, yes, actually."

"What was the dream about?" Ginny asked gently.

Hermione glanced at her, and clasped her hands together nervously, staring at the ground. "Look, I don't-"

"Hermione," Ginny said firmly, wheeling around so that she was blocking Hermione's path, and Hermione was forced to look her in the eye. "We're your friends. I know that Ron and Harry are, too, but they're stupid boys, and are too thick to understand girls and their issues." She looked at Hermione, eyes gentle. "We're going to help you, and to do that, we need to know what's hurting you."

"He's not hurting me!" Hermione blurted, and then her eyes widened. Oops.

"Who's 'he'? We're not talking about a boy, right?" Luna asked softly, her pale face gazing curiously at Hermione.  
Hermione looked between her face and Ginny's face, and decided that these two _were_ her friends, and she knew that she trusted them. "Alright, look... what I tell you, you've got to keep quiet. It's so important that _nobody_ _else_ knows!"

Luna and Ginny nodded, and Hermione took a deep breath, heart pounding. "Please don't judge me," she added softly. "But... two days ago... I dreamed about Draco Malfoy."

Luna blinked. "That's not too bad."

Hermione stared wretchedly at her. "And I think... I think I might..."

Luna stared at her, and she blinked again. "_That's_ bad."

"Are you saying you _like_ Malfoy?" Ginny asked, looking startled. Clearly this had not been expected.

"I- I'm not sure. I feel tingly and sad all the time, but- but sort of happy to see him-"

"Hermione, honestly, you're the cleverest witch in your year, and you don't know what a _crush_ feels like?" Ginny asked, chuckling and shaking her head.

"I- you really think-?"

"So you're a mess for Malfoy. That makes sense," Luna said faintly. "That's why you were gazing at him this morning."

Hermione stared at her. "How'd _you_ know?"

"I saw you gazing at him," Luna replied, as if this explained everything.

Hermione looked at the ground and back up at her friends. Ginny was beginning to look thoughtful, and she was clearly putting the puzzle-pieces together. "It makes sense- Harry was talking about how you had a brawl with him just the other day, and in Charms you said your favorite color was white-blond. And you helped him with his books yesterday... and I heard about what Snape did in Defense Against the Dark Arts. It all makes sense." She was staring at Hermione, but not in a piercing way. More in a sympathetic way.

"So what can I do? I'll start at the library, surely there is a spell to get rid of a _crush_-"

"For the first time in your life, Hermione," Luna said softly. "I don't believe you'll find your answer in a book."

Hermione gazed at her. "But I can't be in love with Malfoy. He's our enemy!"

"You know what they say," Ginny said thoughtfully. "Sometimes the enemy is your best friend."

"But- you think it's alright, then? You won't judge me?" Hermione asked quickly.

"When I was a young girl, I had a crush on a flower that could talk," Luna said, eyes sparkling. "You should feel glad that you fell in love with a_ human,_ at least."

Hermione blinked and pressed her lips together. "It's not that simple. Ron and Harry hate him- if they ever found out-"

"Which they won't," Ginny asserted. She took Hermione's hand. "We aren't going to tell _anyone._ We'd never hurt you like that."

"She's right," Luna softly agreed.

Hermione felt a little overwhelmed at the moment, but she smiled at them and hugged them gratefully. "Thank you," she murmured into Ginny's ear, who just smiled in a very motherly way.

***

_Crush._

_Crush._

_Crush._

On Draco Malfoy.

With each step Hermione took to her next class, she could not get the word unstuck from her mind. It made her terrified yet fiercely happy at the same time. She knew that Ginny and Luna were right- that was the_ exact_ word to describe how she felt right now.

Crushed.

As she was walking down the corridor, Parvati, Seamus, and Neville flanking her, they turned the corner and nearly had a fatal collision with three Slytherin boys.

Hermione couldn't believe it. She _wouldn't_ believe it. This couldn't happen. Not now, when she'd _just _learned...

"Watch where your going, Longbottom!" Malfoy snapped, whom Neville had almost crashed in to. Hermione found herself way to close to Crabbe, who was rather odorous today, and Parvati was retching from bumping into Goyle, who scowled down at her.

Seamus glared at Malfoy. "It's not his fault that great brutes like you three are taking up the whole hall!"

Malfoy sneered at him. "Then who's fault is it that Mudbloods like you and Granger are roaming the halls?"

Hermione's eyes widened, and Malfoy looked over at her, face cold. She felt like she'd been slapped, and wanted to take her wand and jab it through Malfoy's ugly neck. How _dare_ he?

"How dare you?" Parvati hissed, whipping out her wand. Neville hesitantly followed suit, and Sean ripped his out as well.

"I dare," Malfoy drawled, staring at her with utter dislike.

"Never mind him, Parvati," Hermione said icily, staring at Malfoy, her pulse throbbing painfully. "Let the ferret please himself by hearing his own voice. Give him a mirror, and he'll leave us all alone."

Malfoy blinked at her, and was there the tiniest bit of...  
_  
Impossible._

But for a second, it had looked as if Draco Malfoy had almost been... _hurt_.... by her words.

But that was impossible, of course. He didn't care about her at all.

Forcing a smug smile on her face, she stepped past Malfoy and his two burly classmates, leading Neville, Parvati, and Seamus away from them.

"That was brilliant, Hermione, he was really offended!" Neville breathed.

"You're real good at getting Malfoy speechless, Hermione," Parvati added with a slightly envious sigh. "And you _punched_ him in third year... I really wish _I _could have, too..."

"Mudbloods! How dare he?" Seamus was spluttering. "If purebloods are all _asses_ like him, then who wants to be pure?"

"I'm a pureblood! So are Neville, Harry, and Ron!" Parvati exclaimed.

Seamus still looked annoyed. "You know I didn't mean you guys," he told her, sighing.

Hermione didn't look around at them, just marched forward, not looking back. Because she knew that if she looked back and saw Malfoy watching her leave, hurt, she would burst into the tears she was biting back now.

**A/N: Hey everyone, I'm feeling a bit put-out.... when authors don't get reviews, it makes us feel like people don't like their stuff. So pretty, pretty please, all you readers out there who like or even hate my stuff, please tell me!!! I'll accept anything!!! :)**

Teaser: "Are you a dream, or are you really sitting on my bed?" Malfoy asked blankly, now sitting up straight and staring at her in amazement.


	4. The Dragon

**Chapter Four: The Dragon**

**_Disclaimer: I still own nothing. Big shocker there. ;)_**

Now I know something: When in doubt, throw yourself upon the mercy of your readers.

Thanks for all of those who took pity on me and reviewed!!! And now I've come to spoil you all...

I uploaded really quickly, I know, but that's because I'm going on vacation and am going to be gone until Sunday... I couldn't stand the thought of making all you impatient, faithful readers wait THAT long for the next chapter, so you have been spoiled. ;)

Also, this chapter is super-long, sorry about your tired eyes... I just hated the thought of breaking it up. It would mean another cliffhanger, and who likes those???!!!

So enjoy it, and see ya! 

It was a large, empty room. With a jolt, she realized that it was the room of requirement. Glancing around, Hermione squinted and tried to make sense of it. It looked exactly like it had last year, when Harry had been teaching Dumbledore's Army spells to protect themselves, since their old rival, Umbridge.  
_Odd._

She slowly stood up and blinked a couple times. She heard the stone wall begin to churn and drag itself apart, the way it opened last year for the D.A, and she knew who was entering before she turned around.

A pair of cool gray eyes sparkled fondly down at her as the wall began to close itself up again, and she felt paralyzed as Draco Malfoy walked towards her.

"Hermione," he murmured, reaching out and touching her brown curls. Gently, Malfoy tossed her hair over her shoulder, and he felt his ice-cold hand on her cheek.

There was a sudden screaming, and Hermione flashed her eyes opened, sitting up quickly and nearly hitting her bed on the bottom of Lavender's bed.

"Hermione!" she was snarling. "Get. Your. Damn. Cat. Now!"

Hermione scrambled from her bed and looked up at Lavender, who was kneeling on her bed and staring in horror at something on the bed. Crookshanks, who was up there as well, just meowed and licked his lips, glancing down at Hermione.

"I- I'm sorry, but what did he do?" Hermione asked, clucking her tongue to Crookshanks and holding out her arms to him.

"He threw up on my bed!" Lavender snarled. "Oh my god, this is so disgusting-"

"He jut felt sick, that's all," Holly Beetwinch was saying from her bed, which was below Parvati's. Parvati was awake now as well, and she looked tired and annoyed at the same time.

"I don't care! Honestly, you should control your cat! Or at least dump him outside!" Lavender snapped to Hermione, who had gotten Crookshanks safely down from the furious Lavender.

"He could get hurt!" Hermione said indignantly. "Now just use the _Cleano_ charm, it'll clean up easily."

Lavender snorted and whipped her wand out from under her pillow, pointing it at the gross pile of cat throw-up, muttering, "_Cleano._" Immediately, it was gone, and her bed was spotless.

"See? Wasn't that easy?" Holly asked spitefully, tugging her sheets over her head again.

"What time is it?" Parvati murmured, who was laying on her stomach.

Hermione sighed and glanced at her dragon clock. "Seven thirty," she muttered.

Lavender had climbed down onto the floor, and wasn't looking at Hermione, and tossed Crookshanks a dirty look. "I'm getting dressed and going down for breakfast. I don't want to be stuck in here with _her_ or that dumb cat any longer," she drawled.

Hermione could practically _see_ the tension crackling in the air.

"I'll come, too," Parvati finally said, getting down from her bed as well.

"Sure," Holly muttered. "Might as well."

The girls all got dressed, and Lavender had her nose in the air as she left the dormitory, with Parvati casting Hermione a sympathetic look before leaving as well.

Hermione was left sitting at the mirror, Crookshanks rubbing her ankles, as Holly finished fumbling with her badge and stopped at the door, pausing to look over her shoulder towards  
Hermione. She was watching Holly from the mirror

"Are you coming down, Hermione?" she asked gently.

Hermione glanced at Holly in the mirror. She and Holly didn't know each other very well, but she was a reasonably friendly girl, and known for her deep disliking of Lavender.

"Eventually," she finally said.

Holly nodded and left, shutting the door behind her as Hermione heard her feet thudding down the steps.

Hermione sighed and looked out the window. In the distance, on the stadium field, tiny broomsticks could be seen zooming about in the air, with students determinedly holding on as they got practiced. She remembered that today, after breakfast, Griffendor and Slytherin were to show the second-years about Quidditch. Madam Hooch, normally, would have done it, but it had been her idea that perhaps it would be a fun change for the kids to be taught by their older classmates.

As Hermione gazed into the crackling flames of the fire-place, she felt a pang of annoyance. Whoever made the schedules must have seriously disliked Hermione, because it seemed that, since this... this newfound crush on Malfoy, Griffendor was always with Slytherin for classes.

She shuddered when she thought that. Crush on Malfoy. It felt odd on her tongue, and even stranger in her mind. She still couldn't quite wrap her brain around the reason she still liked him, but she did know one thing.

It didn't feel like this crush was going anywhere.

Hermione gave a shuddering sigh. "Men are so stupid. Why do girls get involved with them?"

"That's what I've always wondered, dear," the mirror sleepily replied.

Hermione, feeling frazzled, got up and decided to do some homework to take her mind off things. She got out a quill and her bottle of ink, and some parchment. Deciding that she should begin on McGonagall's homework assignment, she got out her books and began raking her mind with how to start.

She quickly began writing, scrawling the course quill-tip against the dry parchment, and watched as the ink dried behind each new letter.

Hermione worked for several minutes, and had gotten fairly far before suddenly her thoughts began to wander, and, not to her faintest surprise, Malfoy's face floated into her mind.  
_  
Snap!_

Hermione blinked and stared at her quill, holding it up. Well, that is, holding _half_ of it up. It had just snapped, snapped like a twig, in half. The other half was looking rather sad on the table.

She couldn't believe it. These were owl feathers- one of the hardest to snap. How could she have done it?

Feeling frustrated, she threw her books together and put away her ink and marched down the stairs to breakfast.

Malfoy. _Why_ was she so crazy about him?! He was a complete _git!_ He had treated her like crap yesterday, and yet... she remembered the hurt in his eyes when she turned the tables and offended him. That was _completely_ unfair and hypocritical, since he had started it, and he had called her a Mudblood, and yet she felt ripped up inside for hurting him.

Sometimes, being a nice person was just cracked up.

"_Get out of my head_, _Malfoy!_" she hissed to herself as she strode through the doors and swept past dozens and dozens of students eating breakfast.

She marched up to where she and her friends sat, and plopped down.

"Oh- hullo, Hermione," Ron greeted her, sounding annoyed. "You're just in time. You see, _Dean_ here claims that it's impossible to take a tree branch and make it grow legs. But we've seen that in books, and as you _are_ the reader here, would you _kindly_ tell him-"

"Not now, Ronald," she told him impatiently. Dean Thomas flashed a smug smile at Ron before getting up and leaving to join his own group of friends.

"How did you sleep last night?" Luna asked faintly.

Hermione shrugged. "Not too bad, I suppose. You?"

Luna gazed at her. "I sleepwalked down to the library and I think I met a Bogart. Or perhaps it really was Filch."

Hermione smiled slightly.

"Did you have any _dreams_ last night, Hermione?" Ginny teased her.

She shot a hot look towards Ginny and instead faced Harry. Neville, for some reason, wasn't there, but Hermione brushed this realization aside. "What's going on with the second-years today?"

Harry swallowed whatever he'd been chewing, and said, "We're just introducing them to the balls and getting them prepped on how to fly, and might even start flying with them, according to Hooch. It'll probably be boring for you, though. I mean, no offense, but you don't play it, so you might have to wait around."

"None taken. And that's alright, there's this book I wanted to start reading..."

"I personally think it will be annoying. I mean, little bratty second-years running around with Bludgers chasing after 'em," Ron grumbled, seeming a little down-cast after Dean.

"Don't be mean, Ron!" Ginny told him, narrowing her eyes at her older brother. "I think children are sweet. It's not their fault that they're going to have a loopy red-head telling them to not hit themselves in the face with the bats!"

Ron's ears went red and he glared darkly at her.

"I think it'll be fun, too. And speaking of which, it's about time..." Harry's voice trailed off as he glanced around.

Hermione, who felt too sick to eat anything, looked quickly at him. "What? I've hardly been down here-"

"There's only three minutes left the breakfast. You came down late," Ron told her matter-of-factly. "Were you brushing your hair or something?" he teased her.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Of course not, Ron. Were you trimming your nails before coming down?" she fired back, feeling slightly more cheerful to be around her friends.  
Harry and Ginny laughed, and Luna just smiled slightly. Ron couldn't help it, and he cracked a grin. "Good on, Hermione, good one," he rumbled.

Dumbledore suddenly stood up and quieted them down. "Breakfast is over. Now, I believe that all the Slytherin and Griffendor sixth-years are aware that they will be helping the second-years with their Quidditch lessons, as it is now Quidditch season?"

There was a mixed murmuring that swept across the tables, mostly that sounded like, "Yes, sir"s.

"Very well, then. Out you go, Madam Hooch is waiting on the field. Have a good day," Dumbledore called to them, smiling slightly, as the appointed students began sifting from their tables and leaving the hall.

The mass of Slytherin sixth-years wasn't as large as Hermione originally had thought, but together with Griffendor they made a considerable group.

It took everyone a couple minutes to all get outside and travel to the field, and finally everyone was gathered, getting settled in a large circle around Madam Hooch.

She blew her whistle and called out, "Welcome, sixth- years. Today marks the beginning of the Quidditch season, and so the second-years are now allowed to participate in the games with their brooms. Second-years," she hollered, and Hermione, who was standing with Harry and Ron, craned her neck to see a large group of... well, _tiny_ students. She hardly saw them, and felt a shock when she saw how small they were, all short and skinny and rather daunted-looking by all the older students. Unable to believe that she was ever quite that small, she looked back to Madam Hooch.

"Everyone has brooms, correct?" she barked to the second-years. And got a rather confusing response, muddled murmurs and nodding heads.

"Right, then. Sixth-years, I ask that everyone at least watch, and I want my Quidditch team members to participate. Step back, those who are watching, there you go. I will be making sure you do not goof off, so believe me when I say that if I catch someone being mean, they will find themselves sailing over the lake. Understood?" she growled.

The sixth-year students who played Quidditch, which included Harry and Ron, had all stepped forward, and all the other students were now standing far back and watching. Hermione's eyes raked over the Quidditch players, and her heart leapt into her throat when she saw Malfoy, who was glancing at the second-years rather disdainfully.

Hermione forced herself to look away from him, and made her way to the front of the group of watching students. Now the second-years were hesitantly stepping forward with their brooms, and immediately Harry and all the others were talking to them. Someone had brought out the chest that contained the Bludgers and, most importantly, the Snitch.

She listened to Harry talking to a rather pudgy boy with brown hair. "Er- no, it's called a Snitch. And it's the fastest ball on the field- small and quick. The Seekers are the ones that chase after it."

"I wanna be a Sheeker!" the boy exclaimed.

Harry exchanged a look with Ron, who had been telling a girl about how Harry had once broken his whole arm fending off a Bludger, and she looked quite terrified. "First of all, it's called a Seeker. Second of all, Seekers need to be small and lightweight."

Hermione rolled her eyes. Typical Ron. The boy looked more angry than upset, and marched off to talk to a different sixth-year.

As the minutes passed, Hermione became quite bored, and wondered why she and all the others watching had to be out there. Many of them weren't on the Quidditch team, and therefore didn't have much of a reason to tell kids about the sport. Anyways, she would have been much more content in a classroom, surrounded by parchment and books and a talking teacher to  
keep her mind off of a certain white-blond boy.

Things got interested when one of the Slytherins opened the chest, and let the second-years observe all the balls. A Griffendor girl even had the Snitch fly a little bit to get the second-years excited.

"Why don't we let out the Bludgers?" Ron asked loudly.

Madam Hooch, who had been observing from a distance, eyes sharp for any problems, swooped in and seemed to consider the suggestion. "And Weasley," she said coldly, "what do you suppose we do when a Bludger gets out of hand and attacks a second-year?"

"But it isn't a bad idea, Madam," Harry said quickly, defending his friend. "I- I mean," he stammered when her hawk-like eyes flicked to him. "If they are going to try out, they need to know what they're dealing with."

Hermione chanced a glance at Malfoy, who was looking at Madam Hooch, waiting for an answer.

"Alright," she said finally. "I trust your word, Potter. Malfoy, get out the Bludgers, and hand a bat to Potter here," she ordered.

Malfoy shot a cold look towards Harry as he reluctantly handed a bat to him, and grabbed one for himself before quickly unlocking the Bludgers, which seemed excited by the prospect of being released, and immediately they broke free of the chest, screeching and flying about.

The second-years gave_ oo's_ and _aaah's _and some screamed, ducking, as one of the two Bludgers came ricketing down over their heads. Hermione smiled slightly, getting the feeling that the two large Bludgers were showing off.

"That's enough for now, put them away," Madam Hooch ordered after a second.

Malfoy nodded, and as a Bludger came whistling past him, he reached out and groaned as the protesting ball dug into his arm, but he managed to get it back into the chest and lock it up.

"Potter, the other one!" Hooch said, as everyone squinted at the sky. "Where did it go?"

Harry seemed a little nervous as he said, "I'm not sure-"

Right then, however, he was interrupted when there came a furious whistling sound, and everyone looked up to see the Bludger racing back down at them from who-knows-where in the sky, with a rapidly growing force, and Hermione's fluttered her eyes as she realized it was coming straight for her head.

She'd hardly ever dealt with Bludgers before, and to see one coming full-speed towards her made Hermione freeze up as she stared in blank horror at the ball, which was becoming larger as it neared her. Kids were screaming, and Harry, Ron, and Hooch were all howling at her to move.

However, the first person to move quickly enough was perhaps the last one Hermione would have expected.

"Granger, look out!" someone yelled, and suddenly Hermione was roughly shoved out of the way of the furious Bludger, and there came a horrible cracking sound that made her blood curl.

Everyone was shocked to silence, and Hermione slowly looked over her shoulder, eyes widening in horror, as she saw Malfoy, clutching the Bludger which was oddly still, his arm bleeding and flopped to a terrible angle, and there was blood beginning to rise in his cloak. Knowing that he must have been smashed on the inside, she quickly sat up and stood over him.

He was sweaty and dirty, and the pain on his face was clear, but Hermione crawled over to him and stood over Malfoy, brown eyes locking with the gray ones, and he stared at her with a most startling expression. It was a wild mix of relief, pain, and... was that _desire_ shaping his lips into a small smile?

"Malfoy, you idiot!" Hooch hissed, whistling, as the terrified second-years began backing off. Someone groped forward and took the Bludger safely from Malfoy, locking it away, and Hooch called out, "Sixth-years, get all the second-years back inside. Send help!"

Harry and Ron came over, looking completely baffled that Malfoy had put himself in the line of danger to protect Hermione. "Bloody hell, Malfoy. What were you thinking?" Ron asked blankly, and for perhaps the first time ever, he was looking at Malfoy in something else than just spite.

Malfoy choked and Hooch stood up. "Wait here, all of you. I will be fast- the students won't bring help fast enough." She was off and running across the field, towards the main doors of Hogwarts, and the four students were left alone.

"Thanks," Harry said awkwardly. "I mean, for saving Hermione."

Ron laughed and looked over at her. "You looked like a little fawn, Hermione, staring at that Bludger, terrified. But you didn't move!"

"Shut up, Ron," she told him, unable to acknowledge his humor in the seriousness of the crisis. She gazed into Malfoy's eyes and he just trembled, probably from the pain the Bludger inflicted on him. "Thank you," she whispered. She opened her mouth to say something else, then closed it. She wanted to say so much more... but that would have to do for now.

"Y- your w- welcome, Mud-Mudblood," Malfoy choked, and, in the wave of his pain, managed a smile.

"You little-" Ron started, but Harry grabbed his shirt, holding him back.

"It was a joke, Ron," Harry told him in an undertone.

Hermione didn't look back at her friends. She just stared at Malfoy, and was quite sure she wasn't imagining the gentle teasing in his cracked voice. She grinned at him, and suddenly took his hand. "Is there any spell I can do?" she asked herself hurriedly, raking her mind...

Ron, who was staring at Hermione with a weird look on his face, said slowly, "Help's coming."

Harry exchanged a look with Ron, and they both looked at Malfoy and Hermione. Malfoy looked extremely embarrassed and pleased, for some reason, but as soon as the voices of Dumbledore, Snape, Madam Pomfrey, and, of course, Madam Hooch, were audible, he wrenched his hand from hers, and she quickly backed off, standing up with Harry and Ron.

Madam Pomfrey was the first to reach Malfoy. She bent down and quickly began assessing the situation. "Broken arm, broken ribs, inner bleeding," she muttered, as Dumbledore, Snape, and Hooch watched on in deep concern. That is, Snape really just looked on with his typical cold-looking face.

"You said, Madam," Dumbledore said slowly, speaking to Madam Hooch and looking at Hermione thoughtfully, "that young Draco here saw the Bludger coming towards Miss Granger... and pushed her out of the way?"

On the ground, Malfoy began to go a deep red, the first time Hermione, Ron, or Harry had ever seen him blush so deeply. "I c- couldn't see any- anyone get hurt by it," Malfoy croaked, almost indignantly, but he broke off in a fit of coughs.

"He will _live_, won't he, Madam Pomfrey?" Snape asked slowly, sounding almost careless.

"Of course he will. He must be in the hospital wing for a few nights, though... I know how to mend bones easily, but I want to make sure he won't get infected." With a wave of her wand, a stretcher materialized out of the air, and everyone watched as she gently loaded Malfoy onto it, who was moaning slightly.

"He's going to go unconscious," Madam Hooch said, eyes wide. "Will he be able to play again?"

"I am quite sure he will. I expect he will only have some bruises, but no long-term scars," Pomfrey assured her, and she began to bustle away with Hooch and Snape, who looked rather disdainfully at his bloody student.

Dumbledore walked slowly back, matching strides with that of Hermione, Ron, and Harry. "I believe Draco should get an award for his bravery," Dumbledore said finally, twiddling his thumbs.

_"What?"_ Ron and Harry asked in unison.

"I think he deserve it too. I mean, that was awfully incredible he did that for me," Hermione said with a grin.

Dumbledore eyed her thoughtfully. "Yes, Miss Granger, I fully agree. It was not very... likely... that Draco would show such courage and protection for any of you, as you four aren't exactly friends. However, it is... the man who sacrifices himself for the enemy... that is the true hero."

Ron was shaking his head slowly, and Harry still looked flabbergasted.

"Good day to you all. Miss Granger, I suggest you keep an eye out for any more danger today. It seems that your knight in shining armor is, of now, in the hospital wing."

At his shrewd words, Hermione blushed furiously, and Dumbledore paced ahead, humming to himself.

"Explain," Ron demanded as soon as their headmaster was out of earshot.

Hermione blinked and looked over at her friend. "Ex- explain what, Ronald?"

Ron looked exasperated. "_Hullo?_ You held Malfoy's hand!"

Hermione turned pink, and did not meet his or Harry's eye. "He saved me from a great deal of pain, it was the least I could do to comfort him."

"Comfort him? He's the blasted git who's given us grief our whole time at Hogwarts!" Ron exclaimed.

"You did act a little odd. But then again, so did he. I am completely shocked he did that for you," Harry added, frowning thoughtfully.

"I swear, Harry, something's going on around here, and it's messing up people's brains," Ron said, shaking his head.

"Probably a snagglewort," Hermione said softly.

"A what?" Harry and Ron asked, once again in unison.

Hermione just blinked and glanced at them. "Er- nothing."

***

Later that day, at around eight at night, Hermione said goodnight to her friends, and decided it was time to do what she'd been planning of, dreaming of, all day.

Going to visit Malfoy.

She felt terrified and excited at the same time, and as she quietly made her way down the corridors and up some flights of stairs, she tried to calm her scrambling thoughts. She had to act normal here, but she couldn't be _too_ friendly, because then Malfoy would grow suspicious.

Finally, Hermione made her way up to the hospital wing's doorway, and wrapped her knuckles quickly on it.

The door slowly opened, and Madam Pomfrey glowered out at her. "No visitors allowed after- oh, Granger. You were the one Malfoy saved, right?"

Hermione felt her heart leap to her throat at her words. "Erm, yes."

She smiled warmly at Hermione. "Very well. Come on in."

Hermione nervously entered, and saw that Malfoy was the only patient in the rather large room, and his bed was about halfway down.

"I'll be in my office, dear. Don't stay too long," Pomfrey told her softly, and Hermione nodded as the nurse turned around and left Hermione utterly alone in the large room with Draco Malfoy.

She slowly walked over to his bed and found him asleep. He looked fine, his arm in a cast, his chest wrapped in white binds, and a few cuts and bruises on his face and arms. But nothing serious. And anyways, he still looked amazingly adorable on the bed.

Hermione gently sat down on the edge of his bed, and gazed at Malfoy. His face twitched every second or so, and his lips were drawn in a small, sleepy smile. He looked peaceful, and for that, Hermione was grateful. She would have tortured herself forever if he had been seriously hurt.

She felt a pang of deep sorrow and pity for Malfoy as she looked around his bed. He had no cards, no flowers, no candy. Just him. She guessed that not many people had come to see him.

Hermione glanced around and walked over to a different bed, grasping a small glass vase, and placing it on Malfoy's bedside table.

_"Flowerio,"_ she murmured, pointing her wand at the vase, and immediately a beautiful, lush handful of white and blue flowers were in the vase. She smiled at them, and glanced over at Malfoy again, sitting down easily to not disturb him.

Noticing that a bit of his hair was falling in the wrong place on his forehead, she ever so gently reached over and used her finger-tips to brush it away from his face.

His eyes fluttered suddenly, and she felt embarrassment wash over her as she withdrew her hand. Malfoy groaned and blinked, slowly sitting up. His gray eyes suddenly rested on Hermione, and he stared at her incredulously.

"Are you a dream, or are you really sitting on my bed?" Malfoy asked blankly, now sitting up straight and staring at her in amazement.

Hermione laughed. "No, er, I'm real. I, um, wanted to come see you." She waited for a response, but Malfoy's face remained guarded. "I'm really grateful for you saving me this morning, but..." She hesitated. "_Why_ did you do it?"

Malfoy blinked at her and shifted uncomfortably in his bed. "I can't see anyone get hurt by a Bludger. Especially y-" He stopped suddenly, and looked furious at himself.

Hermione smiled gently at him, and they sat in silence, neither quite sure what to say. "Look," she finally said, "I'm not stupid. I want the honest reason."

Malfoy gazed at her. "I know you're not stupid," he said roughly. "I would never think that. It's me who's stupid. I'm the one with issues. Why are you even here?" he snapped.

Hermione jumped slightly, but forced herself to stay calm. "Because... Malfoy... I care. I care if you're in pain or not."

He stared at her. "You really care?" he asked, sounding almost touched.

Hermione blushed. "I- of course I do. No other dork got himself beat up to save me."

They laughed, and Hermione began to feel more and more happy in Malfoy's presence, her whole body tingling with excitement whenever he looked at her. She had his complete and utter attention, and no one was here to ruin it.

"Why do you think you have issues?" she asked suddenly, remembering his words.

Malfoy narrowed his eyes. "Nothing."

Hermione reached over and touched his hand. "Please," she murmured. "I want to help."

Malfoy was staring at her hand touching his. It was cold, and smooth, and Hermione was practically radiating with happiness.

"No one's ever told me that before," he said slowly. He looked quickly at her, and there was no denying the fondness in his eyes this time. "I'm... I'm sorry for all the times I've... I've hurt you."

Hermione blinked, startled. "You- you are?"

Malfoy suddenly looked annoyed, and he cleared his throat. "I just... I guess I've been a jerk sometimes, alright? Now is a good time to say I'm sorry, I suppose."

Hermione smiled at him. "I think I forgave you a long time ago."

Malfoy stared at her, and suddenly the whole world stopped spinning, and the only two people in the whole world was him and Hermione. She felt like she was drowning in the depths of his gentle gray eyes, and she couldn't tear her eyes away from his pale, beautiful face.

Malfoy looked away first, and his eyes rested on the flowers. "Where'd- where'd they come from?"

Hermione withdrew her hand reluctantly. "Ah, me. I felt bad that you didn't have... er, anything... else... so I did those real fast. They don't die," she added.

Malfoy chuckled. "Great. And... thanks," he added slowly.

Hermione just smiled. "No problem."

He was staring at the flowers, almost sad looking. "Um... you're right. No one's really come. Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy came... a few teachers... but they didn't leave anything. It's darn boring here, I tell you."

"Tell me about it."

Malfoy blinked, and they were quiet again, feeling awkward. "Bet that the Weasel is jealous you're here with me," he added, almost cockily.

Hermione felt a sheepish grin spread over her face. "Well... er, actually, they don't, um, know I'm here. They disapproved of me earlier... and to think of me here, giving you flowers? They'd go berserk."

Malfoy chuckled, and their eyes met for a brief second before he looked away. "You know, it's late..."

Hermione immediately felt bitter disappointment rise in her throat, and she nodded quickly, ducking her head. "Oh, right, quite right. Um... I'll stop by tomorrow night, okay?"

Malfoy smiled just slightly, and nodded.

"Good night, Malfoy. Sleep well," Hermione said, feeling increasingly strange (the fact that she was saying a fond good night to the boy Harry and Ron hated was odd enough), and began walking away.

Malfoy did not reply, but she knew he was watching her leave, and as she called a good night to Madam Pomfrey, Hermione felt a shiver of delight ripple down her back before shutting the door behind her.

**Teaser: A sudden furious display of emotions played onto Draco's face- thrill, triumph, joy, but most hauntingly, fear. Hermione was scared, too. They had crossed the Line. They weren't supposed to love each other. And yet there they were...**

Well.... There it is, the ridiculously long chapter. Hope that was enough to last you till Sunday....... BYE!!!!! 


	5. Midnight

**Chapter Five: Midnight**

**Disclaimer: I think we all know I own nothing...**

My vacation was fun, for those of you who particularly care... ;P Anyways, here's chapter 5, and you might be able to guess that this is where big things start to happen... Thank you to all those who've kept reading my story, it means a lot to me, seriously! 

Three days after taking the brutal hit from the Bludger for Hermione, Malfoy was reluctantly let out of the hospital wing by Madam Pomfrey, encouraged and soothed by Dumbledore, who told her that he was quite positive Malfoy was fine now, thanks to her excellent work.

Hermione visited him every day at night, and by the last time she went, she had a funny feeling in her stomach. Things had certainly changed between her and Malfoy. They were no longer enemies, that was a given. But the problem was, what would they do when they were both thrust back into the cold reality- they were _supposed_ to be enemies.

Hermione used to wish that her crush on Malfoy would just go away. It was bothersome, and would one day eventually get out, so better to end it before things came to that.

But now, she didn't even try to stop it, just accept it and enjoy it. Every time she looked at him, her heart fluttered. Each time she touched his cool flesh, it made her fingers go numb with excitement. She felt like giggling like a love-struck child whenever he looked at her with one of those crooked smiles she had come to adore.

She knew that it was wrong. Malfoy came from a very different world than her, they were different in more ways than they were alike. But that was what made Hermione's adoration for him so beautiful, so exciting. It was forbidden, in a way, and Hermione shuddered to think of what Ron and Harry would do if they found out.

And yet... Hermione was still confused. She knew that the fondness etched in Malfoy's beautiful, pointed face was not in her mind, and it was becoming clearer by the day that she was growing on him. But their blossoming relationship was terrible confusing, because neither of them were sure if they truly _had _a relationship. There were so many things holding them back from being together.

On Malfoy's first morning back, Hermione was helping Ron and Neville with some Potions homework. Harry and Ginny were talking about their detest for Snape for whatever reason, and Luna was humming to herself, eating some toast.

"No, Neville, that's spelled with an "i", not an "o". Ronald, honestly, you're in your sixth year here at Hogwarts. Don't you know to capitalize your last name's first letter?"

Ron just looked bleakly at her, rubbing his nose. "Go drown in a toilet, Hermione. You're suddenly all perky and happy and I'm the one in the dump."

Everyone looked over at him curiously. "How come?" Harry finally asked for all of them.

Ron looked miserable. "Lavender. She's a menace, a stalker, I tell ya! I was walking out of the dorm yesterday, and she came up to me and said how she'd been trying to find me all morning... I'd been hiding from her, course... but she somehow knew everywhere I'd been. I need to shake her off!"

"Just break up with her," Ginny said with an amused frown.

"It's not that simple! I'm scared to do that, because she'll probably eat me whole! I swear it!"

Luna gazed at him. "Just pop her a love potion from someone else, and she'll leave you alone."

Ron looked hopeful. "Maybe..." he began, then gasped, his eyes flicking to the door. "Hide me! Pretend I passed out! It's _her!_"

Hermione stifled a laugh as they all looked over to see Lavender skipping down the rows, passed tons of students, and her face looking alarmingly hawk-like as she searched for Ron.  
"Won-Won!" she exclaimed in delight, beaming at him, and nearing the table.

Ron had smashed his face into his plate of eggs and pancakes, and she stared at him, horrified. "What's happened?"

"Nothing's wrong," Harry said, glancing at Hermione. "Er- he just sort of, uh, fell asleep."

Lavender blinked at him, and then glared at Hermione, for some reason. "But he was awake a minute ago when I walked in!" she said shrilly, causing several students to look at her oddly.

"What a spooky coincidence," Luna said faintly. The other stifled their laughs, and Lavender stared at them all angrily.

"Well... well get me when he wakes up, alright?" she finally said, bristling at Luna now, and stalking away.

When she was gone, Ron cautiously lifted his head. "Is she really gone?" he whispered.

"Yeah," Ginny replied, laughing.

"She's vicious, Ron," Neville commented, looking deeply worried for his friend. "If I were you-"

"I know, I know, don't tell me again!" Ron said irritably, sighing and beginning to wipe the food from his face.

***

Hermione was walking around the lake again, gathering her thoughts. It was her free period, and walking and thinking made her relax.

Ginny and Luna had been really cool about Malfoy, they hadn't said a word to her about it since she'd confessed her feelings about him, only dropping a teasing hint or two.

The day was a warm one. The past couple days had been warm, but according to Luna, her Weather Rock said that it would drizzle tomorrow. Ron and Harry had a bet going, with Harry saying it would rain and Ron saying that the rock was bonkers.

The sixth-years had taken to studying and finishing up homework during their free period. That was was Harry and Ron were doing now, up in the Griffendor common room. But Hermione had found that, since she had started to comb through her feelings about Malfoy, doing homework and classes was much easier.

There were many students outside. A lot were stretched under trees, talking and swapping homework answers, and others were reading, some laughing at a dumb joke. Hermione passed by them as she continued to walk along the path.

The lake was still today. It looked freezing cold, and nastier than usual, but it was still the Hogwarts lake. She thought she had seen a tentacle slipping through the water's surface yesterday, but she had dismissed it as her imagination.

As she passed by a group of girls helping each other do their hair, there came a voice from behind her.

"Granger?"

Hermione blinked and immediately felt herself go through the normal stuff- clammy hands, racing heart, flushed cheeks. She slowly turned around, and a grin spread over her face when she saw Malfoy standing behind her. He had his hands in his pockets, and a small smile on his lips. The wind picked up suddenly, and his white-blond hair danced a little in the wind.

"Hi," she said, stepping nearer to him.

"So you're... taking a walk?"

Hermione grinned. "No, I'm actually riding a unicorn. Of _course_ I'm taking a walk, you dork." With this new playful, unlikely friendship slash relationship with Malfoy, she knew she could get away with stuff like that.

He smiled wryly and glanced at the girls, who were whispering excitedly when he looked at them. "Ah- let's walk, shall we? Privacy would be nice."

"Sure."

They matched strides as the pair began walking away from the main grounds, and getting to the part of the path that Hermione liked most- the quiet, remote part, where she could think to herself with complete privacy.

"How'd you manage to shake Crabbe and Goyle?" Hermione finally asked, cracking the silence.

Malfoy glanced at her. "Oh, I gave them a riddle. Knowing those two, they'll be at it all day."

Hermione nodded and clasped her hands together, and they both clearly felt the awkwardness between them. "So... what do you want?"

Malfoy stared at the ground, hands still in pockets. "Look, this- this weird, I don't know, friendship or something-"

Hermione's heart-rate sped up quickly, and she felt like she was falling. She spun to him immediately, eyes narrowed. "You don't want it anymore?"

Malfoy stared at her, and did something he'd never done before: he reached out and grasped her arms, staring earnestly down at her. "I want this, Granger. I want y- I want_ this._ You're the first person who has given me this feeling- I'm happier now than I have been in years. I'm just... I'm just saying, I don't think it will work. My father would kill me. Slytherin and Snape would probably shun me..."

"But it's so stupid. _Why_ can't we be together?"

Malfoy stared at her. "It is stupid," he said with the ghost of a smile on his face. "It really is. But that doesn't change anything. I can't bear to lose Slytherin or their respect... but I don't think  
I can live with losing you, either," he said carefully. Suddenly his face went rather pink and he looked embarrassed at being so open-minded with her.

"It's been what... about a week? Yes, a single week that I've stopped hating you, so why is it possible I can feel this crazy about one person?" Hermione asked breathlessly.

Malfoy stared down at her, his face looking conflicted and utterly confused. He suddenly stepped away from her. "I need to go," he said abruptly, turning around and beginning to stride away.

Hermione blinked, startled. "Oh- okay," she said faintly.

But she was alone again.

Feeling more confused than ever now, she tried to continue with her walk, but when she nearly veered off into the lake, she deemed it too dangerous to be confused and walk at the same time, so she headed back.

What had just happened? As fast as it had started, it had ended. So brief, and so abrupt. What had it all been about? She felt no nearer to any answers than she had before Malfoy had turned up.

Sighing ruefully, Hermione began making her way across the path quickly, wishing she could talk to someone about these feelings, but knowing deep-down that no one, not even Ginny, could truly understand what she was going through right now.

***

During their lunch period, Hermione and the others skipped lunch in order to get started on the massive amount of homework that McGonagall, Flitwick, Snape, and even Slughorn had piled on that day. They went to the library with their schoolbags and dumped everything out on the table, trying to get started.

Hermione had found it hard, yet again, to stay focused, as her mind had been buzzing with thoughts of Malfoy and their confusing meeting that morning. She, however, had managed to keep on a happy face so that no one suspected her of feeling anything but content at the moment.

Luna and Ginny were practicing their Transfiguration on an old rat, which they were to turn into a teacup. Ron was scribbling some answers to Flitwick's homework, while Harry and Neville were being patiently guided by Hermione on how to organize the Trollish alphabet (the language of Trolls), which Snape had coldly insisted was fascinating and ordered them to learn over the next couple of nights.

"We got it!" Ginny said suddenly, grinning, as she held up a slightly furry China teacup.

"Last time I checked, Ginny, it doesn't feel all to pleasant to put a cup to your mouth and it's furry like a rat," Ron replied critically.

"It's not bad for their first time without a teacher," Hermione quietly defended them.

"She's right, considering last time, I turned it into a teacup, but it had little eyes and teeth, and it ran around biting everyone until a boy stepped on it," Luna said vaguely.

"It was nasty," Ginny agreed.

Neville looked a little panicked when he accidentally spilled a little bit of ink on his parchment. "Hermione!" he gasped. "Snape'll kill me!"

"No he won't, Neville," she assured him, sighing and pulling out her wand. _"Cleano!"_ Immediately the ink was gone, and Neville sighed in relief.

"Thanks. I always get nervous when I'm doing anything that has to do with _him_," Neville muttered.

"You aren't the only one who's_ nervous_ about someone right now," Ron said darkly.

Everyone turned to look at him. "What did the girlfriend do this time?" Harry asked mildly.

"Well... I... I thought about what you all said, and I sort of hinted to her that... that I wanted to break up."

"And?" Harry and Ginny asked in unison.

Ron swallowed hard. "Well, she, uh, sort of caught on fire- her head, I mean. And she kinda clawed at me like a, er, cat... and she was so furious I had to pretend I had a question for  
McGonagall to be protected, so she wouldn't attack me. So great advise, guys."

"Sorry, we just wanted to help," Luna said faintly.

"You know, this whole thing with Lavender has become quite foolish," Ginny said thoughtfully. "You should only date someone if you truly care about them."

"Well, I suppose in the tiniest way possible, I think she's kinda pretty. But you guys don't really agree with me, do you?" Ron added.

"She's a pretty mean person," Harry said slowly. "But if you really cared about her, we'd let you be happy, I suppose."  
Hermione looked up quickly, and she blinked, her eyes swirling with thoughts.

"Problem is, I don't. Oh, well. Maybe I can buy some of Fred and George's stuff and always pretend to be sick whenever she comes around. Or maybe she'll kill me." He shrugged, and they grew quiet as they continued on with their homework, the teacup squeaking a little bit.

***

"Goodnight, Hermione," Holly yawned.

"Goodnight," Hermione mumbled into her pillow.

"Yeah, g' night," Parvati murmured.

Lavender was giving Hermione the cold shoulder, and said nothing to anyone. Hermione sighed and rolled over, trying to get comfortable.

It was ten forty at night, as her dragon clock informed her, and the dormitory was black with shadows. The moon sent faint, glowing pools of light through the window, but somehow, their light did not seem to penetrate the darkness. Hermione felt almost as if it was choking her, and she closed her eyes quickly, swallowing hard.

Crookshanks was on the bed with her, sleeping next to her head on her pillow, and she could hear a soft, rusty purr rising from his chest as he gently breathed in and out, tail-tip twitching just slightly. Hermione narrowed her eyes in the darkness and was able to make out his fluffy silhouette, and softly reached up and stroked his ears.

His eyes opened suddenly, and they glowed out at her like two tiny moons. He got a rather annoyed look on his face, and uttered a short chirp, as if telling her to let him sleep. Hermione smiled slightly at him, and rolled over yet again.

"Would you stop moving about like a troll down there, Hermione?" Lavender asked reproachfully.

Hermione glared up at the bunk above her, as if she could penetrate through the wood and shoot fire at Lavender through her eyes. "Sorry," she said brusquely, and making an effort to make the bed shudder once more before finally closing her eyes and pulling the covers close to her chin.

Eventually, Crookshanks went back to sleep, and the gentle snores of Parvati went up in the air. Holly was breathing softly as well, and eventually even Lavender's breathing slowed and she began snoring loudly.

Hermione was wide awake. It was pretty unusual that she wasn't asleep by now- her inner clock was fit as a whistle, and usually she was asleep by this time. She glanced furtively at the clock, and sighed- eleven fifteen. She _had_ to get some sleep- there was a test for Snape tomorrow, and she had to be prepared to do well.

She tried several fruitless attempts to sleep. She counted dragons in her head, imagined herself flying, forcing herself to try and dream, and finally she sat up after laying there, tossing and turning, for too long.

An annoyed look towards her clock told Hermione that it was five minutes until midnight. She knew that sleep was not possible now, so she began to sidle out of bed, attempting to not stir Crookshanks.

Finally she managed to slip from her bed, and she sighed, looking at the other sleeping girls somewhat enviously, before silently sweeping to the door and down the stairs.

She decided that a gulp or two of fresh air would make her feel better, and since she was wide awake, the chance of seeing Hogwarts at such a late hour seemed magical.

Finally Hermione left the Griffendor common room and passed through several snoring paintings before managing to slip past Peeves and outside, onto the tower that outlooked the lake.

She had not been out there much, but it was gorgeous. The air was cold, but not too cold, and the lake looked beautiful and mysterious, swathed by fog and croaking toads and the gentle chirps of crickets, even one or two splashes in the water, suggesting that Hermione wasn't the only one awake.

A gust of rather chilly wind rushed towards Hermione, and she gripped her nightgown tighter around herself, trying to ignore her feet, which were now freezing. But she dealt with the cold- it was beautiful out here.

She knelt against the railing that surrounded the perimeter of the tower and held her chin in her hand, gazing out at the lake and smiling slightly. Suddenly, a few glowing bugs gently buzzed near her, and she stood back, giggling, as they whispered in her ear and flew around her, tickling her nose.

There came sudden footsteps, and Hermione blinked, her heart freezing when she thought of what Filch would do if he found her awake- or worse, Snape- and she whirled around, and glowing bugs wrapping around her and making her seem to sparkle.

It was Malfoy.

He was in a pair of expensive-looking gray pajama bottoms, and he had a shirt on, but it wasn't buttons. The glowing bugs giggled and whispered again to Hermione before whizzing off, and she would have sworn she caught the words, "handsome" and "tasty" from the mischievous things.

His shirt revealed an incredibly handsome, chiseled chest, and Hermione saw the muscles in it. She felt herself go red as she ripped her gaze away from Malfoy's chest and met his eyes. He looked startled and embarrassed to see her there, but he made no attempt to button his shirt.

Hermione felt increasingly strange. It was something she had never really given thought to, but what _did_ the other students sleep in? To see Malfoy lacking his cloak or robes or even a suit was extremely odd, and to see him in pajamas was even odder.

"Er... hi," Hermione said, smiling in a strained kind of way.

Malfoy blinked and seemed to shake himself, slowly walking over to her. "What- what are you doing here?"

Hermione gazed at his face. The moonlight was gently brushing her fingers over Malfoy's face, and he seemed twice as pale and hauntingly beautiful, his gray eyes reflecting the sparkling waters of the lake.

"I- I couldn't sleep. I came out here," she said quickly, stepping aside as Malfoy began to walk over to the railing and he fisted his hands, pressing them on the top of the railing, and leaning out, gazing at the lake.

"When I can't sleep, I come here, too," he murmured. "Sometimes I have... nightmares."

Hermione was gazing at him, and slowly walked over to him. "I'm sorry," she said softly. Quietly she reached up, almost hesitantly, and brushed her fingers on his back. She could feel his powerful shoulder blades and rippling muscles beneath the thin shirt, and he winced, looking quickly at her. She dropped her hand immediately, face reddening.

Malfoy opened his mouth, then shut it and swallowed, glancing out at the lake again. "Oh- look. It's- what is that?"

Hermione looked up and followed Malfoy's finger, to where he was pointing at a foggy form sitting on a boulder that raised from the lake. It seemed to be murmuring quietly, and Hermione's mind raced back to reading Hogwarts: A History: "I think that's a- a Jellymurd. They're like mermaids, but can live above water- and only come out at night."

Malfoy chuckled softly, and looked down at her. "I'll bet you're the only girl in the sixth-year that knows that."

Hermione shrugged sheepishly. "I just read."

They gazed at each other, and Malfoy looked away again, facing the railing. "I- I wish I was as brilliant as you. As smart, as brave..."

"Bravery?" Hermione chortled. "Who's the one who threw himself in the path of danger and got beat up to save me?"

Malfoy looked quickly at her, and his gray eyes burned with intensity. "You want to know why I did that, Granger?"

Hermione was taken aback by his sudden fierceness, and she nodded slowly.

"Because..." He stared out at the lake. "Because I saw that Bludger coming at you, and I thought of what would happen if it hit you. You aren't as strong as a Quidditch player- you would get smashed beyond even Pomfrey's repair. I couldn't think of living without you in it, and I suddenly realized what a coward I was. That's why I saved you."

Hermione was blinking and she stammered, "But- but that makes no sense..."

Malfoy stared at her, eyes burning. "I'm such a bloody coward. All these months, I've treated you like dung... I've been the coward who just didn't want to tell the truth. But I need to change things. I think I have to."

Hermione was now utterly lost and if not a tiny bit apprehensive. What was Malfoy talking about?

"What?"

Malfoy smiled grimly at her. "I thought you were smarter than this," he said quietly, stepping closer to her. They were silent, staring into each other's faces, and he seemed to glow for a moment. "I thought you were an annoying twit. I hated you for being better than me. But then... you changed. You _punched_ me," he added with a laugh, and Hermione smiled. "And I... I... I began to- to see you differently," he said quickly, hastily, and looked appalled at himself for being so honest.

Hermione's heart was now beating painfully. She gazed up at Draco, thirsty for more.

"This is wrong. I am such a bloody fool!" Malfoy snarled suddenly, and Hermione jumped. He looked down at her and said, "I'm such a fool. Why, Hermione? Why am I doing this? My father would rip me limb from limb..."

Startled by the sudden use of her first name, Hermione anxiously pressed forward, wishing she understood so she could help him. "Draco," she murmured, the name sounding on on her tongue. "What do you mean?"

Draco gazed at her, and his gray eyes burned. "I love you, Hermione," he whispered.

Hermione was shocked and ricketing with excitement. She couldn't believe this!

Draco's pale, earnest, frightened face gazed into hers, and she suddenly ached to touch him, to cool the flames in her throat, the burning in her heart. She reached forward and pressed her hand against his cold cheek.

"I love you, Draco," she murmured.

A sudden furious display of emotions played onto Draco's face- thrill, triumph, joy, but, most hauntingly, _fear._ Hermione was scared, too. They had crossed the Line. They weren't supposed to love each other. And yet there they were...

Suddenly Draco pressed his lips against Hermione's. She was taken aback, but began to tremble with delight. He was cold, very cold. But somehow, his coldness made her warmer. He drew back from her, and she realized that his kiss had been a question.

Hermione gently stepped closer to him and pressed her body against his, wrapping her arms around his neck and tipping her face forward, pressing her lips against Draco's. She smiled as they kissed, and she was practically shivering with delight.

Draco loved her. He _loved_ her!

Hermione closed her eyes as she kissed him again, and felt his hands on her back, drawing her closer to him. She smiled, her lips curving against his, and felt him smile too as they kissed again, and again.

It was powerful. Hermione was shivering, and she felt excitement beyond anything else. Somehow, the thrill of having the person she loved, the person she hungered for, the person she lusted, right here, with her, was enough to make her want to do nothing else but stand here for the rest of eternity.

Their emotions changed, and suddenly things became more intense, more warm, more hungry. Hermione moaned slightly as she felt a flick of Draco's tongue, and she slipped her hand, finally, _finally,_ through his soft, white-blond hair.

Out on the lake, the Jellymurd gave a beautiful cry before there came a soft splash, and she was gone.

**Teaser: "Then you're going to end up single, because there is no way I'm ever falling for you."**

(Hmmm.... who says that?)

Just as a little note, I made up the Jellymurd, completely random. Review! Review! Review!!! :D


	6. Skin Deep

**Chapter Six: Skin Deep**

Thank you everyone for the reviews, they always encourage us to keep writing!

And now for the sixth chapter.... I hope you like it! :D

Hermione awoke the next morning, twisted in her covers. She yawned and rubbed at her eyes, feeling exhaustion settled deep into her bones.

Grappling around for her clock, she finally discovered the time- seven forty. Wow, she had slept in!

Wondering why on earth she had allowed herself to do such a thing, and rising to see the dormitory empty, even of Crookshanks, she rushed to her drawers and yanked out her robes, ripping off her nightgown and getting dressed as if someone had pressed a fast-forward button.  
Finally she neared the mirror, and sat down. She blinked.

She looked like a cat that had spent her night racing around who-knows-where and had gotten a blink of sleep. Hermione frowned and slowly reached for the brush, trying to get her groggy mind to start cranking and turning to remember why she was such a mess.

And then, finally, it came like a shock, and she dropped the brush with a gasp.

_She had kissed Draco Malfoy._

Hermione stared at herself, eyes wide in horror.

"Oh _shit!_" she hissed to herself.

"You look exhausted, dear. You were out all night, 'course..." the mirror began to say, but Hermione, who had grabbed her school bag and furiously thrown it over her shoulder, glared at the mirror.

"I'm not in the mood!" Hermione snapped.

With that, she was galloping from the room and racing down the stairs, jumping them two at a time, and was now nearing the main hall, where all the students were laughing and talking, eating their breakfast.

Hermione desperately wished she could be just like them, caring about nothing more than her next class and what Snape had done most recently, but things had grown three times as complicated than that.

She furiously slammed her bag down when she reached Harry, Ron, and Ginny, and tossed herself down on the bench.

"Blimey, Hermione. Are you sleepwalking or are you really awake?" Ron asked, eyes wide, as he and the others took her in, each looking startled.

Hermione frostily ignored him and stared at Ginny. "I need to talk. _Now."_

Ginny, who seemed much more understanding about Hermione's mood, nodding and abandoned her muffin immediately, quickly walking after Hermione into the corridors as the loud noises of students talking and laughing faded away.

"Is this about Malfoy?" Ginny muttered as they passed by a rather gloomy-looking ghost.

Hermione felt tears burn her eyes as she looked at Ginny, and she felt like she was choking. "Y- yeah. Ginny, I- I kissed him!"

Ginny stopped walking, and Hermione had to wheel around to walk back to her. Her brown eyes were wide, begging Ginny not to flip a lid.

"You seriously snogged_ Malfoy?"_ Ginny hissed.

Hermione glanced around wildly. _"Yes,_ but keep it down!"

Ginny was staring at Hermione in a whole new light, and she made a few noises like a cat being strangled. "I- well- Hermione... I never thought that this crush would-"

"Me either!" Hermione agreed quickly.

"Was it romantic?" Ginny asked automatically.

Hermione blinked, hardly believing her ears, and she paused, thinking back to last night. She shivered as she remembered Malfoy's cold skin beneath her fingers, the crickets chirping softly, the cold tower...

"Yes," she murmured. "But- that's besides the point, I-"

"Isn't that what you wanted? You like him, so you wanted to be with him."

"Well- yes- but Ginny..."

"Why are you so upset, then?" Ginny asked, frowning.

"I KISSED HIM!" Hermione shouted furiously, all her confusing emotions making her feel angry suddenly, and a young third-year who happened to be passing by glanced at Hermione fearfully before racing down the corridor.

"You've already told me," Ginny said patiently, crossing her arms.

Hermione closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "What am I going to do_ now?_ We kissed, snogged, whatever you want to call it. That changes _everything._"

"It sure complicates things," Ginny agreed, sighing. "Why did you _have_ to fall for the enemy?"

Hermione blinked, and wondered this herself for perhaps the umpteenth time. "I really don't know," she admitted. "Ginny, it's just... he's so... something. He's annoyingly perfect, and I couldn't help but- well, you know-"

"Kiss him."

Hermione was staring at her. "You seem awfully content with this."

Ginny smiled slightly at her. "Well, I'm a bit conflicted, really. I'm glad you got your first kiss... it's about time, if you know what I mean. You're a pretty girl and you deserve someone. And that brings me to my other thought- you deserve a great guy, not _Malfoy!"_

"I know, but I can deal with that fact later. What I need to know is what the _heck_ am I going to do when we have our next class together?!"

"You can't wait that long. You need to talk to him."

"I could never-"

"He's a boy, Hermione. I felt just like this with Harry when I first saw him, and it's taken me years to realize this. He's just a _boy_, not a crab that's going to bite!"

"Malfoy might as _well _be a crab. He's never going to admit to kissing me, I think we all know that," Hermione said quietly.

Ginny stared at her. "Too bad there isn't a spell that can take away a crush."

Hermione nodded glumly.

"I could do a memory charm," Ginny said brightly. "You can forget all about it!"

Hermione felt a little jolt in her stomach, and met Ginny's green eyes. "That's just it, Ginny. Call me a messed-up fool, but... part of me doesn't _want_ to forget it. Part of me wants to find Malfoy and be with him for... well, just be with him. He told me he loves me."

Ginny blinked. "Oh."

They were both silent.

"Well... _that_ certainly changes things."

"I should try and talk to him, shouldn't I?" Hermione asked quietly.

Ginny was staring, thunderstruck, at Hermione. "I don't believe it. You think he was lying?" she asked, as if she hadn't heard Hermione's most recent question.

Hermione shook her head as if to get rid of a pesky fly. "No. He meant it. I just... I just know."

Ginny nodded slowly. "I think I know what you mean. A gut feeling."

"Yeah," Hermione said weakly.

Ginny was still staring unblinkingly at her. "Well, now I definitely think you ought to go talk to him."

Hermione nodded quickly. "Yes, alright-"

"But make it quiet. You don't want this getting around. I accept it, but what do you think Ron would do?" Ginny asked quietly.

Hermione felt like a cold stone had thudded in her heart. "He'd blow a lid," she said quietly.

Ginny gazed anxiously at Hermione, and gently reached out, touching her arm. "I can't help you with this one, Hermione. This is something you have to figure out on your own."

Hermione looked up at her, and Ginny met her eyes for a brief second before she turned away and began walking down the corridor.

Right then, there came a sudden furious sound of hundreds of feet walking around, and Hermione was suddenly standing amidst a wave of Hogwarts students, being let from breakfast and going to their first class. They pushed around her, and Hermione could only stand there like an idiot, as if the world had slowed to a screeching halt, and the only people alive were her and Malfoy.

_Malfoy._

What was she going to-

"Watch it, Granger," came a high voice, and Hermione was suddenly pushed down, her schoolbag flying, and books tumbling out. Students paused and glanced at her before hurrying away, and Hermione slowly looked up as kids milled around her.

Pansy Parkinson. She was surrounded by a gang of sneering Slytherin girls, but her dark eyes were the most hostile. "Why are you standing around while you should be getting to class? Not making a habit of being late, are we?"

Hermione felt her face flush hot red, and she furiously stood up. Clearly, her little act of barging into McGonagall's the other day had spread, by the smug look on Pansy's pug face. "Are you sure you're talking about me?" she growled.

Pansy glared at her, fingers twitching, and seemed about to say something when there was a sudden eye-catching glow that made Hermione look away from Pansy. Her heart stopped when she realized it was Malfoy. He was flanked by Crabbe and Goyle, like usual, and looked rather messy today.

Hermione's heart thudded as she remembered what Ginny had said.

Talk to him.

She glanced around and, ignoring Pansy's squawks, hastily gathered her books and stuffed them into her schoolbag, chasing after Malfoy.

It took her a good few minutes to make her way past the clumps of students who milled about like bees to their classes, but finally she found herself right behind Malfoy.

"Malfoy!" she said quickly.

He hadn't realized that she was walking behind them, and when he turned around, he flinched, and his gray eyes widened. "Granger?" he asked, voice blank.

Crabbe and Goyle glanced at each other before cracking their knuckles, the stupid brutes clearly thinking that Hermione had it in for Malfoy.

"I'm not going to hurt him!" she told them impatiently, before looking at Malfoy. Their eyes locked, and Hermione was suddenly feeling strangely wiped of emotions. She wasn't excited or pleased to be with the boy she'd kissed last night. She wasn't embarrassed or awkward. She was simply there, thrust in front of his eyes, and this was her chance...

"What do you want?" Malfoy mumbled, staring at the ground.

Hermione gazed at him, quite unsure of what to say. "We- I- I need to talk to you."

"Then talk," Malfoy muttered.

Hermione swallowed hard and looked at Crabbe and Goyle. "Without certain ears," she hissed to him.

Malfoy looked at her, and his face looked like he had swallowed something bitter. But there was a trace of something else in his eyes... something like fear.

_Fear?_

This completely lost Hermione. Why would he be scared?

"I have to get to class," Malfoy said coldly, pushing her away and trying to turn around.

Hermione impatiently got out her wand and a flash of blue light shot from it, and Malfoy involuntarily was spun around again to face her. He looked like he'd been shocked, and he glared at her. "What was that?"

_"I need to talk to you,"_ she said urgently.

Malfoy blinked.

They stared at the other, each trying to make out the other's emotions, before finally Malfoy gave the slightest nod. "Fine. After Potions, in Myrtle's bathroom."

Hermione felt a happy, satisfied balloon seem to inflate in her stomach, and she nodded.

***

She literally had to look three times at the old clock on the wall when it announced that their first class was over to believe it.  
Potions with Slughorn was an alright class. Usually Hermione was frustrated with Harry for cheating and using that odd Potions book that had made him the best student in Potions class, the spot that Hermione coveted in each class and almost always got.

But today, she barely thought about Harry beating her at making Gollyjiggles (a potion that cured hick-ups), and she breezed through Slughorn's class, only furiously wishing time could go faster.

At the same time, she wanted this class to last until the end of time, because she was frightened about meeting with Malfoy. What would she say? After actually kissing him, it was certainly harder to chat like normal people.

And the worst thing, perhaps, about the whole situation was looking at Ron or Harry when they asked her to pass the knife or asked her how to pronounce a certain ingredient, because every time she looked at them, it was a cold reminder of her doubts. If they knew she'd kissed Malfoy, the boy they loathed, would they abandon her? Shun her? Hate her? Be disgusted? Wild possibilities flitted through her mind, and she could only attempt to act normal.

Yet there was something magical about this whole sticky situation. Something fantastically breathtaking about her and Malfoy that made her vibrate like a happy puppy. The boy she cared so deeply about had told her he loved her. Loved her.

That was enough to make her poor heart flop to the side for good, and she'd have to join Moaning Myrtle in the bathroom.

So when they were all released into the hall, Harry and Ron were planning to go off to have their free period in the dormitory to catch up on their alarmingly high pile of homework (their free period was often flipped each day by the teachers). So she said a hasty good-bye, and then slowly, heart pounding, began to walk around the castle, looking for Myrtle's bathroom.

It didn't take long. She finally found the correct corridor and began walking down it.

The castle was now oddly empty, as all the sixth-years were either outside or doing homework in their dorms, and all the other students had scrambled to their next class. She felt rather dizzy as her heels echoed a hollow, lonely sound on the stone below her feet, and finally she came to a stop in front of the bathroom doors.  
She stared at them, palms sweaty and heart thudding painfully, and finally she pushed it open.

There, standing in front of the sinks, was a pale white-blond boy, gripping the sides of the sink and staring sightlessly at the mirror, the cold water running faithfully from the faucet.

Suddenly his gray eyes focused and he saw her in the mirror. Wheeling around, Draco Malfoy faced her.

"Malfoy," Hermione said quickly, closing the door behind her and dropping her schoolbag. She slowly approached him until they were standing almost as close as they were last night.

"What do you want, Granger?" he asked harshly.

Hermione blinked and swallowed hard. "I- I want an explanation. Last night-"

"Was a dream," Malfoy snapped.

Hermione was taken aback. "What?"

"Look- this is all rubbish. Last night I was tired... hallucinating, something. I wasn't Draco Malfoy. There's nothing between us, Granger."  
Hermione stared into his face, narrowing her eyes. "You're right," she said at last. "You weren't Draco Malfoy. Not the one you've shown us all these years. You were someone else... someone much different. _That's_ the Draco I care about."

Malfoy stared at her, eyes pooling with several confusing emotions, and he looked away, staring determinedly at the floor. "Then you're a fool. You will never see that Draco again." His voice cracked, and Hermione felt her throat burning.

"You don't mean that," she said quietly. "You can't deny this. We have something special."

"Yeah, well, I say we were just stupid kids with heads too big for our bodies. There is nothing. There can be nothing. My father would be furious if he knew I- that we- and... and Slytherin... and not to mention Snape-"

"Why should we care about them? I want _you,_ Draco. There's something you offer that I just don't see in any other boy," Hermione told him fiercely.

Malfoy stared at her again. "Not even the Weasel?" he asked, the ghost of a snicker on his face.

Hermione shook her head slowly, and as she did, the realization washed over her like a cold tide. Malfoy_ was_ the only boy she wanted. It was a lust, an ache, that she had never felt before...

"Then you're going to end up single, because there is no way I'm ever falling for you," Malfoy snapped, grabbing his bag and beginning to walk away.

Hermione stared after him, feeling distraught, and did the only thing she could think of. She said angrily, "You are a coward, Draco. Why won't you admit it? Why can't you say the words you confessed to me last night?"

Malfoy stopped and seemed to grip his schoolbag even tighter. He was silent, and finally said quietly, "Because it was a lie."

"No, that was a lie. I'm not stupid, Draco."

Malfoy slowly dropped his schoolbag and turned around to Hermione, his eyes pools of anger and confusion and grief. Hermione felt startled as he suddenly stepped furiously towards her, and, with a shock, found herself locked against Malfoy in a kiss.

It was fierce- Hermione knew Malfoy was angry with himself, confused, trying to sort his way through a bramble of new feelings. He was tasting her, he was asking himself what he really felt when he kissed her like this.

When Malfoy staggered back, Hermione fell against the sink, and they were both gasping, eyes wide.

They were silent. Hermione stared at Malfoy, eyes wide as she waited. She knew that all of time had stopped around them. All that mattered was the boy standing before her.

"I can't do this," Malfoy whispered, voice cracking, and, to Hermione's shock, a single tear dripped down his cheek. It was certainly an emotional trip for Hermione, suddenly snogging the boy she'd once hated and seeing him cry.

"Do what?" Hermione asked softly, stepping towards him.

Malfoy gazed at her, and angrily wiped the tear away, looking furious at himself for breaking up before her. "I should have never kissed you. I- I'm sorry-"  
"I don't regret it," Hermione murmured.

"I should! I have to regret it!" Malfoy said wildly. "I'm evil, Hermione. I'm cursed with shadows and darkness forever. You shouldn't have to be with me. I will make your life hell."

Hermione gently pressed her hand against Malfoy's, and he flinched, but did not pull away. "If that's true, I don't care, as long as I'm with you."

"You're a fool!"

"I know."

Malfoy stared at her, unbelieving. "You- you would do that for me? Give up everything?"

Hermione stared at him firmly. "I know I would."

Malfoy shook his head and Hermione pressed her head against his chest. "I'm not worth that. You deserve someone better. I'm never going to be good enough for you."

"I don't care, Draco. I know this is screwed-up, but that's why I love it. That's why I love _you_, because you're a hopeless mess, and you need someone."

Malfoy gave a shuddering sigh. "I'm not a good person, Hermione. My path leads away from yours... far away. My family is different... my destiny is different..."

"You're talking like an old man!" Hermione scoffed. "We're only kids. We have time to be together. I can't go on like this, this stupid game of "He likes me, he likes me not." It's too hard..."

"It's not like things will be better than me. I'm- I'm evil, the things I might do..."

"You are not evil. That mask that you show us... that sneering, tough-guy mask... it's all an act. It's only skin deep. Inside, you are a good person, Draco. I've seen him."

Malfoy had dropped his head onto hers, and she could feel his heart beating next to her ear. "When?" he asked quietly.

Hermione bit her lip. "Last night," she whispered.

Malfoy was silent, and they stood there for a long time, thrilling in the other's presence.

"Only skin-deep?" Malfoy mumbled into her hair.

Hermione's breath quickened and she felt the tiniest ghost of a smile on her lips. "Exactly."

**Come on.... let's have a round of, "awwwwwwww's". So sweet... *sniffle***

Anyways, I'm having a lot of fun writing this.... but be prepared.... I can see a dark spot on the horizon, and it's getting ever-closer..... *mua ha ha ha haaaa* 

**Teaser: Suddenly, Draco's gaze found Hermione in the many Hogwarts students, and she felt a shiver of pleasure when the corners of his mouth twitched upward just slightly. **


	7. Poisoned Love

**Chapter Seven: Poisoned Love**

Okay, I am SO sorry I haven't uploaded in such a long time. There was a problem with my account, and it didn't want me to upload, so I did this ASAP! Hopefully you all can forgive me, and SERIOUSLY, I really need your guy's support right now- feeling a little bummed about it all.... so please review!!!!

The fresh morning air sent a gust of sharp wind towards Hermione as she walked pleasantly down the school yard, alone.

She and Malfoy- _Draco,_ she had decided to call him _Draco_ now- had been together for awhile now. Hermione wondered if it was truly possible that it had only been a week ago that she had met Draco in the bathroom and they had admitted their true feelings to each other.

Her heart suddenly flopped and her fingers got that excited tingling feeling when she thought about him. Draco. His soft, pale blond hair, combed so sweetly to the side... his swirling gray eyes... his cold, pointed face...

Surely being with someone... someone that made her feel this happy... wasn't wrong? It wasn't right that she was not _supposed_ to be with Draco. The opinions of her teachers, her peers, and her friends mattered too much to her for them all to know... not even Ginny and Luna were aware that Hermione was now seeing Draco in secret.  
_  
Secret. _The world sent a chill going down Hermione's spine. They were indeed meeting in secret- anywhere they could fine that was empty of wary eyes. The library at night, closets, the bathroom... hardly romantic spots, and yet now, wherever Draco stepped made it a beautiful place.

Hermione knew it had to come to an end eventually. This sort of love... this silenced, squished romance they had... was too sticky, too complicated. Draco loved her, she knew this, but he was conflicted at the same time. If anyone knew... they would shun him, tease him. The Prince of Slytherin would loose his crown, perhaps forever.

But this was now, the present, and it was a gift. Being with Draco was more bliss, more happiness, than Hermione had ever imagined was possible. Feeling his body close to hers, knowing that he loved her, was enough to send her flying to the moon and back. They had something truly special, truly unique... and the fact that he was forbidden to him made Draco all the more delicious.

Delicious? Had she really just described him as _delicious?_

Her face burned from sheepishness as she passed by several clumps of chatting friends in the school yard. Even though no one could read her mind, she still felt weird thinking it in front of all these people. The very thought of someone like Ron finding out was....

Hermione stopped. She would not think about that. All she would think about was how happy was was right now, with Draco, and how their love was beautiful. She did not want to think about the end. Just _now._

At the same time, keeping it a secret from her two best friends was a very hard thing to do. Harry and Ron were good friends, and the three of them had never really kept huge secrets like this from each other before... It hurt her to abuse their trust like this, and it made her feel nasty and guilty. But was she really willing to give up Draco to make sure her friendship with Harry and Ron was pure?

The answer came in a heartbeat: no.

Hermione paused walking and squinted out at the grounds. Currently, Ron was in detention for Slughorn (he had called Goyle a slow-witted pig in their last class when Goyle had purposefully knocked over his cauldron), and Harry was doing some Quidditch practice. This left Hermione, once again, alone, and therefore with a chance to find Draco.

Almost as if her thoughts had summoned him, she saw Draco being yakked at by that cow, Pansy, and flanked, like always, by Crabbe and Goyle. They were walking away from the lake, and she wondered how on earth she would get Draco alone this time.

She sighed and watched him, unable to keep her eyes from glowing. He looked handsome as ever, his Slytherin robes draped around his tall, thin body almost perfectly; his green Slytherin badge caught a ray of sunlight and gleamed suddenly, making Hermione narrow her eyes.

His hair, just like before, was suddenly alight with magnificent flames of pale blond as the sun's fingers stroked his head, making his gray eyes seem to brighten.  
Hermione could not help a grin from sliding over her face, and just prayed that no one noticed who she was grinning at.  
Pansy and the others were now nearing them, and Hermione could catch snippets of her words as she wind carried them her way.

"-so I told her that her nose was bigger than Snape's and she ought to go to Madam Pomfrey. The girl went sobbing, of course, and she didn't try to defy me again!" Pansy said proudly, seeming to be wrapping up her story.

Draco looked rather bored when he looked at her, and Hermione caught a flicker of a how-could-I-have-ever-liked-you look on his chiseled face. Luckily for Pansy, however, she missed it, and instead grinned at Draco. "That was pretty clever of me, really. I don't usually come up with stuff that fast."

"Is it because your mind isn't all that fast?" Goyle asked slowly, and he and Crabbe guffawed as she sniffed at them, looking like an offended pug. Draco didn't seem to care either way, and just glanced around at the other students.

"Really, Draco, I don't know why you hang around with these two mutts. There are so many better boys- so many smarter ones," Pansy added haughtily.

"They're not as bad as some," Draco replied airily, glancing at her.

Pansy clearly did not get the memo as she stared admiringly up at him.

Suddenly, Draco's gaze found Hermione in the many Hogwarts students, and she felt a shiver of pleasure when the corners of his mouth twitched upward just slightly.

"What is it?" Pansy asked suddenly, and Hermione's blood froze when the black-haired girl followed Draco's smile and saw Hermione. Her nose wrinkled. "You're looking at Granger?"

Draco blinked and looked annoyed as he shot a dark look towards Pansy. "Granger's hair is bushier today, that's all," he snapped. "Honestly, do you suppose the girl's ever heard of a brush?"

Pansy's moment of suspicion passed as she joined Crabbe and Goyle in snorts of laughter. Hermione felt relieved that Draco had smoothly saved them from that one, but absentmindedly touched her hair uneasily, just to check if his words were right.

Draco motioned to his gang and they began walking in Hermione's direction. Pansy's dark eyes glittered hostilely out at her as they came much closer, and suddenly she and Pansy were nose-to-nose. Pansy sniffed towards Hermione and roughly shoved past her. Crabbe followed suit, and Goyle delivered the hardest shove yet, actually making Hermione stumble a bit.

When Draco loomed above her, his face was blank of emotion, and as he brushed past her, his shove was hardly rough, and Hermione felt his cold hand pressing something into hers.

Suddenly he was gone, and he was leading his gang back up the hill towards Hogwarts. The whole thing had only taken several seconds, and Hermione blinked, finding herself confused.  
Then she remembered the object Draco had discretely given her and jumped slightly, glancing down and staring at her hands.

It was a piece of ripped parchment, folded hastily and crumbled just a tiny bit. With shaking hands, Hermione slowly opened it, and her eyes devoured the message scrawled inside.

_H-  
_

_Meet me at ten tonight in Snape's closet._

_-D_

The brief note, only eight words long, was enough to make Hermione's heart do flips. Yes! They were meeting tonight! She felt her heart thudding in her throat as a silly grin spread over her face and she fisted her hand, feeling as if the tiny note in her hand was the most precious thing in the world.

"Attention, please, quiet down!" Professor McGonagall called out, tapping her wand upon her desk in a very urgent manner.

Griffendor, who was having class with Hufflepuff today, had all stumbled in after their free period, and Hermione was now sitting next to Parvati. They were in Transfiguration class with McGonagall, and Hermione felt a pang of shame that she wasn't focusing on her lesson as much as usual, but instead her thoughts were racing with Draco Malfoy and the note he'd just given her....

"Thank you," McGonagall said crisply, staring down at them from her half-moon spectacles, which glinted slightly from the sun's rays that seeped from the windows. "Now, today, we are going to begin taking your Transfiguration abilities a step further." In one swift movement, she had retrieved her wand from her emerald-green robes and flicked it. At once, every student had a pair of opera-glasses in front of them on their desk. There were surprised murmurs and one or two groans, but Hermione just stared at her opera-glasses vaguely, still thinking of how Draco had smiled at her...

"I know that you are all fully capable of any kind of Transfiguration at this point that is at your level," McGonagall was saying, stepping towards her students as she began to pace. "This is a step-up from the normal pin cushions and goblets, but I expect you all to do fine."  
McGonagall went on to show them how to tilt their wand just slightly to the left and flick it just enough to send a bolt of buzzing green bolts into their pair or opera-glasses, which, if done correctly, will end with a kitten on their desk.

"Perhaps," McGonagall said hesitantly after seeing Ron violently brandishing his wand towards his opera-glasses, "it would be wise to have a student demonstrate for his peers. Miss Abbott, if you would..."

Hermione blinked and shook herself, furious, looking over to where Hannah Abbott was sitting next to Megan Jones, determined to stay focused.

"Er- alright," Hannah said, a bit uncertainly, as she took out her wand and gently performed the movements McGonagall had shown them. It ended well enough, with a kitten that had a rather suspicious brass-look to his fur, but a kitten all the same.

"Very good, Miss Abbott, very good. I expect all of you to do as well as Miss Abbott here," McGonagall told them shortly, Hannah beaming.

Hermione cleared her throat and took out her wand, preparing to place it over her desk, when Parvati whispered to her, "I got asked out."

Hermione's green light shot out of her wand-tip but hit the desk, and it made a groaning noise. She looked at Parvati quickly. "Really?" she asked, feigning interest. The last thing she needed to talk about right now was dates.

"Yes!" Parvati whispered, grinning, and she paused, staring expectantly at Hermione. As the class began to perform their magic around them, Hermione found it hard to concentrate, and wondered why her partner was looking at her. It finally clicked that she wanted Hermione to ask _who_ asked her out.

"Er- well, who asked you out, then?"

Parvati seemed rather giddy as she said in a hushed voice, "Dean Thomas!"

Hermione dropped her wand. "Dean? But I thought that he was going with Ginny?"

"No, they broke up- something about Dean laughing at Harry at a match or something. Anyways, yeah, we're going out now!" Parvati squealed, grinning at Hermione.

Hermione felt a pang of slight envy towards Parvati. She was so lucky... she had fallen for someone who most everyone else approved of. There were no secrets, no unease, nothing but happiness...

"That's... great," Hermione said, clearly detached.

Parvati seemed rather put-out by Hermione's lack of interest, when suddenly Susan Bones, who was sitting in front of them next to Justin Finch-Fletchley, turned around to gawk at Parvati.

"Really? He is pretty cute."

"I know, right?" Parvati replied with a giddy smile, obviously pleased that _someone_ had taken interest in her latest news.

"Would you two quit gossiping and get back to work?" Justin snapped, who had made his opera-glasses grow furry legs, and it was now racing around, falling over every other second.

"Sorry," Parvati retorted. "Just because you can't get a girl doesn't mean you should be jealous of Dean."

"I'm not-" Justin started, but right then his opera-glasses sprouted a rather alarming-looking head that began wailing, and he became quite busy with his work.

"You aren't going out with anyone, are you?" Parvati asked quietly when McGonagall had given them all a stern look to get back to work.

Hermione felt her stomach drop. "Er- no."

Parvati sighed and glanced over at where Ron and Harry were currently trying to retrieve their opera-glasses from Ernie Macmillan's desk, as they had managed to make their glasses grow pathetic-looking wings. "That's a shame, especially when you're so close to Harry... Dean's handsome, but Harry is something else..."

Hermione's face turned red as she once again tapped her opera-glasses with her wand, a little more harshly this time. "He's my friend, nothing more," she replied coolly.

Parvati shrugged. "I'm just saying, you deserve somebody, being clever and all. I'm surprised that a boy hasn't asked you out yet."

Hermione felt a sudden lump in her throat, and tried to ignore it as her class went on.

***

The rest of Hermione's day went by agonizingly slow, and she couldn't really focus on eating dinner. They yet again had a load of homework to tackle, and she left the hall early with Ron and Harry to go start on it at eight.

"How was your detention with Slughorn?" Harry asked conversationally. He was posed on the couch, trying to think of another word that meant "particularly ill-looking" in Gnomish.  
Ron, who was stretched out by the crackling fire and was currently scribbling down something for Flitwick, replied, "Not too bad, he's a load better than Snape, that's for sure. I just wish I could've gotten Goyle back... tomorrow, maybe..."

"Don't be silly, Ron, you could get into even more trouble," Hermione told him patronizingly, quill paused at her lip as she tried to remember what the root "jug" meant in Trollish.  
Crookshanks uttered a friendly _mrrrow_ as he flicked past her, diving after a poor mouse he'd been itching to catch for days now.

"I honestly don't care," Ron retorted, dipping his quill in his small bottle of ink. "The gargoyle deserves it."

"Hermione, what's a word that means "trollish"?" Harry asked, glancing over at her hopefully.

"Goyle," Ron told him calmly, and he and Harry began laughing.

Hermione tried to hide a smile as she looked over at Ron. "Speaking of trolls, how's your girlfriend?"

Ron's smile faded immediately, and he blinked. "Well, er, you know- I've been avoiding Lavender, really... haven't seen her in awhile..."

"He acted like he fainted the other day in the hall. Gave Madam Pomfrey a scare, he did," Harry said with a laugh.

Hermione stared at them. "I- I didn't hear about that," she said softly.

Ron and Harry blinked at her. "Oh- well, yeah, must've slipped our minds. Don't matter, anyways, just another Lavender story." Ron shrugged.

"I'm- I'm going up to bed," Hermione said suddenly, gathering her books and stacking them on the table. Ron and Harry stared at her, bemused.

"Did I... offend you?" Ron asked, sitting up and sounding worried.

"Of course not," Hermione replied. "I'm just tired. That's usually why people go to bed."

"Blimey, Hermione, it's only nine!"

"Well, it's good to get extra hours of rest, don't you think?" Hermione said crisply. "Good night."

Harry and Ron, utterly confused by her behavior, just watched her leave with surprised faces, and Hermione pushed aside the feeling of regret. She knew that her new romance with Draco was pulling her apart from her two best friends, and yet she wasn't ready to stop. Things were only getting started.

She quickly walked up to her dorm room and dropped off her books. Parvati was giggling about something with Holly when she came in, and Hermione left as soon as possible, not wanting to be reminded about her earlier conversation with Parvati.

Quickly walking out into the corridor, Hermione felt her head buzzing. It wasn't the first time she'd be meeting with Draco, and yet she felt different about this one. The secretive way he had passed the note to her made her excited, and knew that things would be much more powerful this time.

Her excitement made her take a few wrong corridors, and she nearly crashed into a wall that was pretending to be a door.

Hermione's watch only told her that it was eight-twenty after she had managed to clear her way of the wall, and she slowed her pace, listening to her rapping heart anxiously.

Night had fallen outside, and there weren't many students in the corridors. She certainly passed by several ghosts, and a few friendly teachers, but she felt greatly relieved at the lack of students. She was usually in the Griffendor common room at this time, studying or finishing up homework, and if her peers asked sticky questions, things could get tough.

Yet the thought that things could get harder than they already were was one that was hard to imagine.  
Suddenly, just as she was nearing the hall where Snape's closet was, she thought she heard a strangled shout, and a furious clacking of shoes, as well as a girl's wail.

Hermione paused and blinked, frowning quizzically. There came a sudden door slam that seemed rather near, but when nothing else happened, she decided it was nothing, and continued walking.

Finally, after meandering her way around the castle for awhile, waiting impatiently for nine o' clock to strike, Hermione stopped dead in her tracks.  
_  
Dong!_

The clock was beginning to toll.  
_  
Dong!_

She was practically shivering with pleasure as she finally found the corridor that Snape's closet was in and ducked in, feet clacking on the stone floor.  
_  
Dong!_

_Dong!_

Praying that all the portraits would stay asleep, she continued walking to the closet, heart racing...

_Dong!_

She came to a halt in front of the door and smiled slightly, reaching out for the knob and slowly grasping it...  
_  
Dong!_

She turned it quickly, and yanked the door open.  
_  
Dong!_

Suddenly, there came a scream.  
_  
Dong!_  
_  
"Ronald?"_ Hermione gasped, jaw dropping.  
_  
DONG!_

Nine o' clock was here.

"Oh, Hermione, it's you." Indeed, it was the red-head himself, crouched behind a box of what looked like bottled mice.

"How- what- what are you _doing_ down here?" Hermione spluttered, perplexed, as the tall red-head stood up and shook himself off.

"Well, I suppose I could ask you the same thing," Ron replied, but looked a little pale.

Hermione felt exasperation and annoyance. How the heck could this have happened? "I went on a walk," she said stubbornly. "And I thought_ you_ were in the dorm with Harry!"  
Ron glanced around at Snape's closet and then looked at Hermione. "Well, I _was,"_ he said with a huff. "But then Lavender came rushing in after you'd left, and demanded I go on a walk with her... said it'd be romantic... and I, well, sort of... lost her...."

Hermione blinked, and suddenly remembered the earlier disruption in the hall. She smacked herself on the head. "How could I have been so _stupid?"_

"Er- well, I dunno about you- but I was hiding in here from her, and- _Malfoy?"_

Hermione froze, and slowly looked over to see Draco approaching her. He had began to smile when he saw her, but then his face had gone blank when he had seen Ron.

"What the- what are _you_ doing here?" Draco asked, looking taken aback.

"Looks like we're all having a walk at the same time of night," Ron replied coldly, getting up quickly.

Draco blinked at him and then looked at Hermione, shooting her a _what-the-hell-is-going-on_ look, and Hermione returned him with a _I'm-really-not-sure_ look.

"Well." Ron blinked and glanced between them. "Er- Hermione, why don't we go off to the dorm...?"  
Hermione, who had been gazing at Draco, snapped quickly back to Ron. "Oh, right, course. Well- alright, let's go."

Ron glanced around nervously before letting himself leave the closet, and as he and Hermione continued down the hall, Hermione hesitated and whipped around. Draco Malfoy was still watching her, looking disappointed, and she quickly mouthed, "Tomorrow!"

Malfoy's face was wiped free of emotion, but she knew him well enough now to know that, when his eyes began to gleam like that, it meant he was pleased.

**There's your update- hopefully my little anticlimax hasn't made you want to desert me.... check back in a few days for the next chapter, when Draco and Hermione really get to meet in Snape's closet...**

Teaser: Suddenly, a wild voice she had never heard before was whispering in her ear. _You _idiot!_ There's a positively gorgeous boy standing right in front of you, and you're in a dark closet, all alone, and you're just standing there! _


	8. Impossible

**Chapter Eight: Impossible**

**Hello everybody! *beams around at all* Well, here's chapter 8. Now, I welcome all criticism because what is an author without her flaws?, and this chapter is predictable. I think so, in any case. But you all know the basic formula for all stories: something's gotta happen before the climax, right? So bear with me at the patheticness (is that a word?) of this cliche chapter and dive on in! :)**  
**  
**"Ronald _Weasley_!" Ginny snapped.

Ron was sitting with Harry, Ron, Luna, and Neville at breakfast the following day, and Ginny was storming over, a most Mrs. Weasley-ish look on her face that it surprised Hermione that Ron hadn't jumped a foot out of his seat yet.

He did, however, spill his pumpkin juice over himself in surprise, and looked a little anxious as his sister swooped over. "Y- yeah?" he asked hesitantly.

Ginny threw herself down next to Luna and glared at Ron like a hawk. "Lavender has been sobbing all morning in the bathrooms. _What_ did you do?"

Ron looked a little blank. "Er- is she really?"

"Honestly, Ron, if you no longer like her, break up with the girl! She's-" Harry started, but was suddenly cut off by Luna.

"I know why she's crying," she said vaguely.

Everyone paused to glance over at the long-haired girl.

"She wants to break up with Ron."

Ron stared at her incredulously for a second, and then he grinned so wildly that Hermione rather thought his face might split. "Seriously?" he exclaimed.

"Word got round... that you instead walked the halls with her last night..." Luna nodded faintly towards Hermione. "And she blew up in the girl's bathroom this morning..."

"So that's why? She's crying because she wants to break up with Won-Won?" Ginny asked with a smirk, calming down.

"Yes." Luna nodded, her strawberry earrings, which glowed, bobbing back and forth.

"Good job," Neville congratulated a giddy Ron.

"That's great, mate!" Harry said, grinning.

"But hold on," Ginny said suddenly, glancing furtively at Hermione. "Why were you walking the halls with Hermione last night?"

Ron's grin, if possible, widened. "It was hilarious- well, not at first, really- but, well, Lavender came into the Griffendor common room and dragged me on a walk. I shook her off around Snape's closet- you know, in that one corridor-" (Ginny snorted) "- and hid in it. And then here comes Hermione, going on some sort of walk, and then Malfoy comes pulling up. A freak coincidence. He never _did_ say why he was out at nine..." Ron added, as if in an afterthought.

"Is that so?" Ginny asked, staring at Hermione.

Hermione shot her an _I'll-explain-later_ look, but Luna said quiet softly, "I rather like coincidences. Did you know it was a complete coincidence that people began putting unicorns hairs in their wands?"

Everyone except for Hermione laughed. She still felt a pang of regret that she hadn't been able to meet with Draco last night- Ron's little escapade had sure screwed things up- and the fact that she was going to have to go through a whole other day thinking about nine o' clock tonight didn't make things easier.

But something that Neville said suddenly brought Hermione back down to earth.

"We've got a quiz for Flitwick today, don't we?" he asked, sounding worried.

"I think so," Harry agreed. "It's the Aguamenti Charm, right?"

"Oh, _shoot!"_ Hermione gasped. "I- I totally forgot!"

Everyone stopped eating to stare incredulously at her. "You _did?"_ Neville managed to ask.

"Hermione!" Ron exclaimed.

Hermione felt furious at herself. She had been busy thinking about Draco all day, and hadn't practiced her homework for Flitwick- practicing the Aguamenti Charm- and now they had a quiz on it today! If Draco interfered with her school life...

She blinked and decided not to finish that thought.

"Okay, okay- well, then, what is it?" Hermione hissed. "Water, right?"

Harry and Ron exchanged looks. "Er- yeah," Harry told her, getting out his wand as Hermione did, and pulling an empty goblet towards himself. "Want me to, er, demonstrate?"

"Yes!" Hermione told him fiercely, and Harry, looking very awkward, placed his wand over the golden goblet and thrust his wand sharply.

_"Aguamenti!"_ he said clearly.

Immediately, sparkling silver water materialized in the goblet, and Ron, shrugging, reached over and took a drink.

"Good enough," he decided. Neville laughed.

Hermione spent the rest of her breakfast urgently repeating the spell, and really, it wasn't that hard to master. However, the fact that Hermione had missed her homework was not what bothered her. It was what caused her to miss her homework. She loved Draco more than... well, more than anything in the _world_ right now, and being with him was right up there with air at the moment.

Yet she couldn't allow her school work to slip because of a boy. As much as she tried to persuade herself differently, she couldn't deny that Draco was, after all, just a very, very handsome boy... and he couldn't _possibly_ be worth getting her Hogwarts work screwed up for.

They finally departed the Great Hall and the ceiling, which was bewitched to look like a sun beaming down at them today, and said good-bye to Luna and Ginny.  
Hermione was focused on her wand, pointing it out from under her Griffendor robes, and muttering, _"Aguamenti, aguamenti!"_ She had gotten the hang of it, so the only people that had something to worry about was the unfortunate students who happened to slip in the small pools of water Hermione was unconsciously creating.

Harry, Ron, and Neville were in a discussion about their latest Divination class, in which Trelawny had made the unexpected move of switching to foretelling Dean Thomas's gruesome death, but Hermione barely listened as they finally pushed open the door to Flitwick's classroom, where students were still walking in, ready to take their seats.

Today their class was with Ravenclaw, and Hermione sent a silent prayer of thanks to whoever arranged their schedule like this. After the confusing, slightly embarrassing accident last night, the last thing Hermione needed was another distraction- especially one with white-blond hair.

The four of them took their seats, and Hermione bit her lip, deciding it was safe to risk one more go at the charm.

She pointed her wand at the floor under her desk, hoping that Flitwick, on his usual stack of rather thick books, wouldn't notice. _"Aguamenti!"_ she muttered out of the corner of her mouth.

Immediately, a burst of water silently shot out, and, to her horror, splashed right in front of Flitwick's desk.

"I do hope that all of you have practiced your Aquamenti charms?" he squeaked, looking expectantly at their faces.

Hermione watched apprehensively as the students, most of which had noticed the spurt of water, muttered a chorus of agreement.

"Well, then," Flitwick said, beaming around at them and beginning to descend from his stack of books, "I suppose that- WAHHH!"

The class broke into an uproar of laughter, and Hermione just stared, torn between horror and laughter, when she realized that her little teacher had just slipped in the puddle.

***

After a particularly satisfying lunch in the Great Hall, Dumbledore sent all of the students off to their dorms. Hermione had managed to make herself forget how nervous she was about meeting Malfoy tonight.

However, when she got back to the dorm with Harry and Ron and agreed to a game of Wizard's Chess with Ron, her nerves came back in full-tide, and she was practically shivering as she stutteringly told her Queen to move forward three places.

"What's up, Hermione?" Ron asked brightly, who had been particularly pleasant all day (Hermione suspected it had something to do with Lavender's decision to break up with him).

Harry had just returned from the Owlery after sending Fred and Weasley an owl, since Ron had discovered that Hogsmeade didn't carry any Peppermint Snails, a Weasley Wheezes product, and he wanted to buy from some his brothers. He was currently laying on the couch and playing with his wand, making violet sparks shoot out every now and then. He suddenly looked over and sat up. "Yeah, you seem a bit twitchy," he commented.

"Do I?" Hermione muttered sardonically. "Well..." She thought a moment, wondering what pathetic excuse she could possibly use now. "I feel sort of bad... you know, after making Flitwick slip this morning..."

Harry and Ron, however, cracked a smile. "That was brilliant!" Ron argued. "He was fine, anyways."

"You're too much of a good person," Harry agreed, laying back down and gazing at the portraits, which were watching the Wizard Chess game with interest.

Hermione just shrugged, grateful that her excuse had worked. And anyways, it wasn't really a lie- she _did_ feel sort of bad about that, even now.

"King me!" Ron said triumphantly, and his piece promptly became rather violent and smashed one of Hermione's pieces to dust.

"I'm horrible at this game, you know that," she replied, staring ruefully at her battered chess piece.

"Precisely," Ron told her with a grin, looking very pleased with himself indeed.

"I'm surprised you aren't at the library tonight," Harry remarked, who had absentmindedly picked up one of Hermione's thick, battered books and was flipping through it with a bleary look on his face.

"Oh, well," Hermione said, flustered. "School work's piled up quite a bit. You know," she said, abruptly changing the conversation, "We haven't visited Hagrid in ages..."

She knew very well that she hadn't gone to the library very much lately, which was about as normal as a cat that suddenly began eating carrots. Hermione secretly knew it was because her mind was full of Draco and she couldn't concentrate very well on reading for her own pleasure anymore.

Ron challenged Harry to a game next, and Hermione was the one sitting on the couch, staring into the fire.

There weren't very many people about. Plenty had gone to bed already- coming with sixth year was a lot harder classes and harder work, and it often left students exhausted by eight o' clock. Hermione knew that Harry was tired, and only reckoned the thing keeping Ron going was his relief of losing dear Lavender.

Hermione eventually retired to the table, where she began semi-conscientiously doodling pictures. Before long, there was a drawing of Crookshanks sleeping, Harry and Ron laughing, some books, and something else on her parchment...

Hermione blinked at it. Without realizing it, she had drawn a picture of Draco. And, given the acceptance that she wasn't the _greatest _artist, it was pretty decent.  
There was a sudden chorus of cheers, and Hermione looked up. Ron had won again, and the portraits that had been sleepily watching were now cheering for him.  
She glanced quickly at the brass clock that sat on the mantel over the fireplace- it read ten till nine.

Feeling a nervous jolt in her stomach, Hermione stood up quickly. "Well, boys, I'm off."

"Good night, Hermione!" Ron called happily after her, Harry following suit. Before she shut the door behind her, Hermione would have sworn she heard Ron say, "Up for another round, Harry?"

"Where you off to at such an hour?" came a high voice.

Hermione jumped and spun around, calming when she realized it was the Fat Lady. She hadn't noticed her much recently- not much had happened concerning the portrait that guarded the Griffendor Tower since third year, when Sirius Black had scared her away.

"It's not exactly you business, is it?" Hermione asked briskly.

The Fat Lady gave an exasperated sigh. "Never mind me, then, just a nosy, good-for-nothing portrait, eh?"

"Eh," Hermione agreed with a slight smile, whipping around and taking the moving staircases until she found herself in one of the many empty halls at Hogwarts.

It was quite dark and gloomy, so Hermione hesitantly got out her wand. _"Lumos,"_ she whispered, and immediately a large bead of light grew on the tip of her gleaming wand.

Walking down the corridors and almost wishing she'd asked Harry for his Marauder's Map, she continued walking determinedly until she passed by the first familiar artifact- a rather handsome-looking stone nailed to the wall by Filch, apparently a gift from a Durmstrang headmaster to Dumbledore.

Knowing that the hallway that Snape had his closet in was only a few corridors from this one, she trotted off at a fast pace, and, after passing by a few cheerful ghosts and several paintings that grumpily asked her what in Merlin's name she was doing out at night, she found the right hallway.

Positive that absolutely nothing could keep her from having a private night with Draco, she lifted her head and traveled down the corridor.

She felt her heart-beat quicken when she saw another bobbing light at the other end of the dark corridor, but a silly grin spread over her face when she met the owner of that bobbing light in the middle of the corridor, right in front of the closed closet door.

"Draco," Hermione said diplomatically, grinning.

"Hermione," Draco replied, his face carefully swept clean of emotion. And yet the tiny crinkles at the corner of his eyes were enough to make Hermione beam up at him.

"I'm so sorry about last night, Ron was, er, running away from Lavender and I had no idea he would be-"

"Hermione," Draco interrupted her smoothly, and she shivered. There was something about the way he said that... a sort of gentle affection, a slight over protectiveness, perhaps... Either way, Hermione adored the way he talked to her like that, and wondered how the heck she'd ever hated this guy. "It's okay. We're here now, aren't we?"

Hermione couldn't manage to swallow the stupid grin on her face. She felt sort of jittery and excited, and hadn't been this close to them since their last kiss. "Yeah," she managed faintly.

Draco gave her a crooked smile and his gray eyes flicked over her face. They were both silent, but somehow, drinking in the other's perfection and growing more anxious.

"Well," Draco finally said, reaching over and opening the door to Snape's closet. "Ladies first?" He pointed a hand towards the door politely, and Hermione laughed.

"What a gentleman," she purred, stepping in.

Draco hesitated before stepping in, and slowly closed the door behind them.

For a second, an awkwardness enveloped them. Both knew exactly what they _wanted_ to do, but neither had been in such a situation before, and were quite unsure of_ how_ to do it.

Inside the closet, it was dark, but Hermione's eyes had already gotten used to the dimness. She could see Malfoy almost perfectly, and she shivered.

Suddenly, a wild voice she had never heard before was whispering in her ear. _You _idiot!_ There's a positively gorgeous boy standing right in front of you, and you're in a dark closet, all alone, and you're just standing there!_

What should I do? Hermione wondered frantically.

She could practically hear an exasperated snort from the mysterious voice. _Grab him!_

Hermione smiled slightly, and then stepped towards Draco, who stared at her with a politely puzzled look on his face, and then slowly reached up, slipping her hands around his neck and pressing herself very close to him, lifting her face up to his...

It was too dark to see anything very clearly, but Hermione knew he was smiling as he kissed her gently on the lips.

Suddenly, Hermione's heart was pounding as she slowly began to unbutton his shirt, as she hadn't _quite_ forgotten his beautifully sculpted muscles from the other night on the tower, and spread her hands over his cold stomach, laughing with delight.

He did not laugh, but instead pressed his lips against hers again, more hungrily this time, and things began to grow hot. Hermione no longer thought, but acted. It was like the whispering voice was telling her how to handle this beautiful situation, and she was simply acting on instinct, and instinct she would have never guessed she had.

Draco was suddenly on the box Ron had hidden behind last night, and Hermione was standing, hands wrapped around his pale neck, his hands on her waist. She began exploring him, kissing more vigorously, her fingers dancing over his shoulders, which now lacked a shirt...

**(A/N: Okay, here comes the really cliche, predictable part.)**

There was a sudden fumbling with the handle on the door, and Hermione and Draco were too busy to react fast enough. But all of a sudden, the door was opened, and Snape was standing there, a few bottles in his hands. He brushed his greasy black hair from his face and then froze, his cold black eyes widened in utter shock when he realized what he was seeing. He dropped his bottles and they all crashed at his feet, spilling over his shoes and burning the soles, but he seemed to hardly notice.

Hermione pulled back from Draco first, and they both stared at Snape.

For a few terribly long seconds, everyone stared at each other, and Draco was the first to do something.

He slipped off of the box and grabbed his shirt, his face the reddest Hermione had ever seen it, and hastily put it on, not bothering to button it.

"P- Professor?" Hermione squeaked, heart pounding with horror. _No, no, no, this couldn't be happening..._

Snape was staring at them, a blank look of shock and horror upon his face, but his eyes were swirling, and he looked like he had been taken back to another world, an old memory.

His lip twitched suddenly, and a hoarse noise came from his throat.

"G- get away from her, Potter," he whispered.

Hermione blinked, and look quickly at Draco. _Potter?_ Was he mad? It was clearly Draco standing in the closet with her.

"I- I'm sorry, Professor, I-" Draco started, eyes wide and looking twice as shocked as Hermione felt.

"Get your filthy hands off of Lily!" Snape said hysterically, a look of the deepest, darkest loathing that Hermione had ever seen, not even shown when he looked at Harry. And, for the first time ever, Hermione felt truly scared of Severus Snape.

"I don't think-" she shakily started, but suddenly Snape pointed a pale finger at her, and she flinched. Draco acted immediately, putting himself in front of Hermione, his shirt billowing, Hermione's breath coming in ragged gasps.

"Get out," Snape told them quietly, staring at them, and yet Hermione had the queerest feeling that he wasn't really seeing _them._

But that didn't change the terrifying look of fury on Snape's face, and she and Draco ran from that closet, pelting away from Snape.

As she and Draco rounded a corner, Hermione paused and looked back to see what Snape was doing. Her heart was beating wildly, and all her senses were screaming at her to _MOVE, _but she couldn't help it. Amidst all of shock, the terror, and the disbelief at being caught with Draco, she felt a burning curiosity in her stomach. Why was Snape acting so oddly?

The black-cloaked teacher had not moved, still staring, frozen, at the now-empty closet, the slight smell of burning shoes wafting down the corridor.

"Hermione!" came a hiss, and she looked over. Draco was staring at her coldly, and he quickly motioned for her to get going.

She glanced back at Snape for a millisecond before pelting after Draco. She rushed up to him, face flushed. "Draco, I- I'm so sorry, I had no idea- this is- I don't know-"

"Just go to your dorm. The whole school will know by tomorrow," Draco replied harshly, and began walking away from her.

He left Hermione, standing miserably alone in the corridor, wondering how things could have possibly gone so wrong.

**If any of you were terribly bemused by my warnings, well, hopefully you got it. But it wasn't too bad, I suppose... Anyways, update soon!**

Also, the thing about Lavender breaking up with Ron is, obviously, my creation, and a little dumb, I know, but a good way to start the chapter, eh?

OH! And speaking of "eh", that little part with the Fat Lady and Hermione is a sort of inner joke... maybe you caught it, maybe not.... ;)

**And (I'll really shut up after this one) why was Snape acting so strangely? Is it possible that, many years ago, he found Lily and James in the exact same closet doing the exact same thing? Hmmm....*awww moment for Snape*  
**


	9. Shattered

**Chapter Nine: Shattered**

Hi again! *big grins* Welcome, welcome, to the ninth chapter.... of my Dramione story!!! :D Okay, SO..... Well, I hope you all are glad to see this, thank you to everyone who kindly reviewed Chapter 8, a castle-full of thanks! Heh heh... get it, castle-full, and Hogwarts... alright, that was totally lame, you just gotta pity me. lol NOW I am going to let you go, so get going, and I hope you like it!

The next morning, Hermione had just gone down to the Griffendor common room when the first sign of what she feared most became clear.

There were six or seven Griffendor students milling about, two in which were Ginny and Harry, and when Hermione came into view, everyone stopped and stared at her. Harry had a blank look on his face when he looked at Hermione, and Ginny looked nervous.

"Oh, shit," she mumbled under her breath.

"It's Malfoy's girl!" one jeered, making Hermione's heart flop.

"The sneaky git!" a second-year hissed.

"Hermione," Ginny said loudly. "Why don't you come with us?"

There were hushed whispers as Hermione slowly traveled past them, heart thumping, and she swallowed hard. Feeling her face burn in utter shame and refusing to meet Harry's eyes,  
Hermione felt Ginny grasp her arm and gently tug her out of the common room.

"Everyone knows about your little adventure last night," Ginny murmured in Hermione's ear. She cringed, and felt like crying.

"Oh, Merlin... Ginny, I- did Snape-?"

"Yes."

Hermione's throat clogged, and she felt like she couldn't breath. Everything was suddenly crumbling apart very quickly, and very violently, and all she could do was stand and watch it shatter, helplessly...

Hermione suddenly wondered if this was what if felt like to be Harry Potter, to enter a room and everyone grows quiet and stares, muttering things. Because that was exactly what happened in each corridor she passed through with Ginny tugging her along. She just stared at the floor, unable to look into their hostile faces.

It seemed that every student of every House- Griffendor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and especially Slytherin knew about her and Draco, and everyone was obviously shocked and furious by her actions. Draco was well-hated by nearly every student, and to see Hermione, who used to be rather well-liked by the Houses, hook up with him, well... it wasn't pretty.

Finally, Hermione was dragged away from their stares and whispers and she was out in the court-yard with Ginny. It was a cold morning, so not many students were out, a fact that deeply relieved Hermione.

At last Ginny released her, and Hermione heard crunching foot-steps behind her, realizing that Harry was on their heels.

"What happened last night?" Ginny finally asked.

Hermione swallowed hard and wrung her hands, staring at the grass. She couldn't answer.

"Hermione," Ginny urged her.

She looked up at Ginny, eyes watering. "Alright, I- I met him in Snape's closet, okay? We- we- you know- but Snape- he intruded, I don't think he realized-"

"So the other night, then," Harry spoke, for the first time, his voice flat. "When you found Ron at Snape's closet and Malfoy happened to drop by, you were really planning on doing it that night, but it got screwed up by Ron?"

Hermione blinked rapidly. "Yeah," she croaked.

There was a long silence that followed, and no one seemed sure of what to say.

"Where's Ron?" she whispered.

Ginny exchanged a look with Harry. "Well, you- you see, Snape told Slytherin first, and Slytherin told the rest of the Houses, so- so by breakfast everyone knew, and when we all found out- well- Ron, he... well-"

"He exploded," Harry said coldly. "Completely flew off the handle, and he's sitting on his bed in the dorm right now."

Hermione felt a tear slip down her cheek, and she swallowed a sob. "Is he angry?"

Harry cleared his throat. "He was pretty ticked at first, yeah, but that wore off. Now he's just shocked. According to Neville, he won't stop muttering, 'What does she see in him?'"

Hermione flinched.

"So you are in love with... Malfoy... then?" Harry finally asked, his words dropping in the air like stones. Hermione took a quick breath and bit her lip.

"Yes," she said softly, voice cracking.

Silence again.

Hermione let out a yelp when she realized she was sawing down on her lip, and the sharp tang of blood was now in her mouth. She rubbed it, and finally looked up at Ginny and Harry. They were staring back at her, faces blank.

"Ginny admitted that she knew about this crush. So did Luna," Harry said gravely, clearing his throat.

Hermione swallowed the taste of blood and stared earnestly at Harry. "Yes, she... she has been so good to me, she kept it secret to help me..."

"I just- why Malfoy? We've hated him for all these years, and now you up and love him?" Harry asked harshly, hands in his pockets.

Hermione swayed slightly, but no one reached over to help her. "I- I know. It's raving mad, point made. I just- Harry, I- I can't put my thumb on it. Draco is just- perfect. I know that no one else understands it, but we love each other."

"Draco?" Harry repeated, raising a brow.

"Love each other?" Ginny repeated, crossing her arms and looking very uncomfortable.

"Where is Draco... anyways?" Hermione asked quietly, heart still racing.

Ginny blinked, and once again exchanged a look with Harry. "Hermione- I think you're wrong about that last part."

Hermione forgot her spinning mind for a moment to frown at Ginny quizzically. "What?"

"That bit about loving each other. Hermione... Malfoy's broken up, he's been in the bathroom ever since the whole Hall jeered at him at breakfast. Hasn't shown his face, everyone's shocked. Especially Snape and Slytherin. They all seem to have shattered their little Prince's crown."

"No," Hermione croaked, horrified. "They- they're shunning him?"

Ginny kicked at a rock. "Pretty much."

"No! Oh- Ginny, what have we done? Why did I do this? If only I- I hadn't..." Hermione began to sob, and Ginny reached over hesitantly, hugging her.

"That's kind of what we're wondering," Harry mumbled, and Ginny scowled at him, clearly thinking _you are not helping!_

"What am I going to do?" Hermione gasped, tears trickling down her face in wild streams now.

Ginny narrowed her eyes, face torn between pity and unease. "Well.... if.... if _I _were you... I'd go find Malfoy. Try to set things straight with him."

Hermione rubbed at her face hastily, feeling shame and anger and embarrassment burning in her stomach all at once, making her feel sick. Her head was throbbing with a head-ache now, and it didn't help that her mind was spinning. _Shit, love really_ does_ hurt_. "You think that's what I should do?" she asked hoarsely, stepping back and hastily rubbing at her eyes again.  
Ginny nodded slowly, and Harry gave the slightest nod as well, looking twice as conflicted as Ginny. Hermione was grateful and relieved that Harry didn't seem mad, that he was at least talking to her- Ron, on the other hand.... She shuddered.

"I- okay. Okay, I will. Wh- where.... where is he?" Hermione stammered, feeling more pathetic by the second.

"Um, I'm- I'm not honestly sure, you could try Harry's map," Ginny suggested in a hollow voice.

Hermione blinked at Harry, her eyelashes wet, and he shrugged.

"It doesn't matter!" she said softly. "I- I'll find him on my own. I'll get through this." Ginny had backed off to stand next to Harry again, and both of her friends looked concerned for her.

"Thank you," Hermione murmured, staring anxiously at their faces. "I'm so lucky to have friends like you two, and-"

"Just go," Harry mumbled, a little red in the face.

Hermione nodded quickly and took a step back, drawing a shaky breath. "Yes, yes I- good idea. Thank you!" she cried over her shoulder before wheeling around and beginning to trek up the hill, filled with a new power to set things right again.

She finally made her way over the courtyard and hesitantly stepped back into the front hall, where many more students were milling about and talking loudly. Nobody stopped when they saw her, but instead threw her nasty, hostile looks, and briskly set off, away from her.

Hermione swallowed hard, feeling her confidence flicker a little, before walking through the crowd. If she hadn't felt so miserable, she might have been amused to see the obvious jealousy and loathing on Pansy Parkinson's face, who was standing with Crabbe and Goyle in front of the doors to the Great Hall, where everyone was eating and talking noisily.

Taking the sign that Crabbe and Goyle were not with their beloved master, Hermione quickened her pace as she scanned the Slytherin crowd, trying to ignore the cold looks shot at her from every direction. Her heart thudded with disappointment- Draco wasn't there.

Turning on her heel, Hermione marched out of the Great Hall and decided to check the bathrooms. Wondering which one he could possibly be in, Hermione began to feel hopeless. There were so many bathrooms in Hogwarts, she was dreaming if she thought she could find him in-

She stopped suddenly, nearly making a first-year crash into her. Of course! Why was she acting so thick? He was in Myrtle's bathroom, where no one could find him!

Racing down the corridors now, she breathlessly counted them until she made an abrupt turn and pelted down the hallway where she knew Myrtle's bathroom was in. Usually it was empty, but today there was several students passing down it, talking quietly.

Throwing herself at the door, Hermione found herself, yet again, in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

She looked around quickly. "Draco?" she called out nervously, realizing that she could see nor hear anyone.

There was complete silence for a few seconds, and then a pointed-faced boy with pale blond hair stepped out from behind the row of stalls, eying her with a blank face.

"Granger?" he growled, and Hermione blinked at him, wonder why he had reverted back to her last name.

She took a step towards Draco uneasily, and he took a step back, staring furiously at her. "Do you know what you've done to me?" he bellowed. "The whole school hates me, Snape's disowned me, and the bulk of Slytherin are disgusted, not to mention my father, who has no doubt gotten an owl from Snape by now... he'll bury me alive, the family name is dishonored-"

"How could you?" Hermione cried, feeling her throat burn. "How dare you! You're acting like I'm some sort of disgusting ogre who tricked you into kissing me!"

"As far as my father's concerned, a Mudblood is a disgusting ogre! And did you? Did you put a spell on me? A Love Potion?" Draco asked wildly, and Hermione blinked, feeling a tear drip down her cheek. He was hurting her, more than any slap or kick or spell could hurt. He was acting like they never had anything special, that she'd tricked him.

"I don't believe you," she said softly, her eyes beginning to blaze. "I would never do that to you, Draco! I love you!"

"You're a fool! We never had _anything!_ And- and stop calling me Draco!" he snarled, whipping past her.

Hermione spun around, staring after him in shock. "No," she whispered, voice rising. "Stop! Please, stop!"

Draco did not stop, so Hermione began to run after him, and grabbed his arm just before he left the bathroom, and wrenched him around.

"Please, stop it. You're hurting me. So everyone knows- we both knew it couldn't be a secret forever. We can learn to live with it, because what he had was unique! And you're destroying it!" Hermione cried, and Draco stared blankly down at her, his gray eyes swirling.

He was quiet for a moment before tugging out of her grip and turning to completely face her. He seemed to be calling up the right words as his pale jaw slowly opened. "I never cared about you, Granger," he said quietly, coldly. "I was just using you, and ready to dump you at any moment. I never planned for it to get this far, and I didn't think you'd be so convinced."

Hermione felt like he'd slapped her; she staggered back, face white. "Th- that's not true," she croaked. "Draco, you're lying!"

Draco just stared at her coldly. "If I were lying," he said coolly, "then I probably wouldn't be able to do this." He whipped around and smashed the bathroom door open, stalking out, and leaving Hermione locked in place, eyes glazed.

For several long moments, she couldn't move. She just stood there, and felt like her mind was a broke recorder. It wasn't accepting this shattering realization, it flat-out refused to accept that Draco was telling the truth, that it had all been a lie, all along.

There was no way. It wasn't possible. He had been so sweet- so convincing. Had it really all been a lie? The cold firmness in Draco's parting words had been so patronizing, so easy, that Hermione felt her chest heave.

It wasn't a lie. He had been using her all along.

Her mind spiraling into nothingness, Hermione staggered back, heart racing, and tripped, falling back onto the sinks. She collapsed into a heap, sobbing. Her noisy, pathetic cries echoed around the lonely bathroom, and Hermione found herself crying yet again in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

There came a sudden high voice, but Hermione didn't bother to look up and see who it was. She already knew. She'd been expecting her, in fact.

"I warned you," the voice trilled, coming closer to Hermione as the ghost of a young girl floated down to sit next to Hermione. "I warned you that love is for fools, but no, you're the great  
Hermione Granger, why would you listen to a dead girl's advise?"

"Go away, Myrtle," Hermione croaked, face buried in her knees.

"This is exactly what happens. I can't tell you how many girls I see rushing in here after a sad confrontation with their beloved, sobbing their eyes out. Each one, I told them not to give their heart away to a stupid boy. And each one ignored me, and they paid."

Hermione's mind involuntarily flitted back to those memories of the first time she'd come sobbing into Myrtle's bathroom, and the dead girl had, indeed, warned her not to fall in love with  
Draco.

She had been right after all.

"I'm so _stupid_," Hermione said thickly, voice muffled a bit, as her unruly hair was completely covering her face, and her face was tucked sloppily between her knees. "How could I have ever thought that Draco liked me?"

"Well, there's one thing we can agree on," Myrtle replied conversationally, who was rather enjoying herself at the turn of the tables. For the second time, it was Hermione crying, and Myrtle standing over her, rather amused.

"Just go drown again, would you?" Hermione asked wretchedly, breaking into another round of sobs. She absentmindedly wondered if classes had started, and if her first bell teacher was wondering where she was.

"_Well,_ excuse me!" Myrtle exclaimed, sounded very offended. "_First_ of all, I didn't drown, it was that horrid Basilisk that killed me. And _secondly,_ you have _no_ idea how offensive that sounds to a dead person-"

"Sorry," Hermione mumbled, lifting her head and rubbing at her eyes. "It doesn't matter. I'm just plain rubbish."

"You aren't _rubbish,_" Myrtle replied, surprising Hermione in her veil of misery. "You're a smart girl- I haven't forgotten how you managed to made that potion in your second year. But you _were_ pretty thick to ignore my advice..."

Hermione got up abruptly, and took a deep, shaky breath. "I'm leaving."

Myrtle looked rather crestfallen. "Oh, are you? Well, I guess you feel better, then, so that's good."

"I don't feel better," Hermione said harshly as her mind began to wildly spin. "Myrtle... Myrtle, I can't stand it anymore... I can't live like this."

"Don't be silly, girl, you're just over-reacting. You'll look back on this as a married old witch and laugh," Myrtle replied flatly.

Hermione was trembling. No, she couldn't see that. She couldn't see much anymore. She didn't know much, either. The whole time... it was a lie.

No, Draco had ripped her heart to pieces. Destroyed it beyond repair. Shattered her whole life, it seemed, so that she was unable to rebuild it. This pain.... she felt overwhelmed with it, and she knew it would never abide.

Her crazed mind began to flash with ideas. She had to get rid of it. This pain was unbearable. She couldn't stand it. How? How could she get rid of the pain? It was eating her insides, chewing her up, ripping her apart, it felt like a thousand needles, like her ribs were being snapped one at a time, like a claw had been taken to her heart...

In a daze, Hermione began to stagger away from the bathroom, eyes glazed.

"Hey!" Myrtle said indignantly. "Where are you going? You can't go anywhere in a state like this-"

"Myrtle," Hermione said very clearly, but she didn't sound like Hermione.

"Yes?" Myrtle asked, blinking.

Hermione's heart was racing faster than it ever had before, and a crazy idea was planted in Hermione's mind. She knew how to get rid of this pain. Of course... how could she have not thought of it before?

"You aren't going to be lonely for much longer," Hermione told her, and a little grin washed over her face. Yes, yes, perfect- it was brilliant, she would be free of the pain... she could forget  
Draco... forget everything... The thought of losing this raging, stinging, screaming pain almost made Hermione happy.

"What's that supposed to me?" Myrtle asked, mystified and a bit concerned. She had never seen Hermione act like this before.

But Hermione did not respond as she slowly began making her way from the bathroom, mind buzzing.  
_  
Of course, what a brilliant idea...._

**What's Hermione doing? What's her brilliant plan? Check back in a few days, the final chapter (yes, the final chapter) will arrive... **

**Teaser: **"If you hurt her, I swear to God I'll blast your head off!" Ron spat.


	10. For You

**WELL. It feels like ages since I've uploaded, and I'm so sorry to all you guys- school started for me on the 17th, so I've been chock-full when it comes to my schedule. I've barely been able to get onto the internet lately, and that NEVER happens! lol Anyways, this is the last chapter of my story. O.O Yeah, I know... I'm pretty sad. I've had a great time writing and seeing reviews and meeting complete strangers that I've come to care about. A huge thanks to everyone who has read and review, and a very special thank you to my biggest reviewers:  
**  
lilmisspoppets, Magpie93, JadeLovesDracoMalfoy, voldyismyfather, tinker-time, iamlegend42, Noir Lime Canuto, bethdelusional, DracoFTW ****

If my scatterbrained ways missed anyone, feel completely free to PM me saying "WTF you totally skipped me!!!" XD But everyone has been kind and supportive... I feel sad to be saying good-bye to all of you... :(

Now, for those of you who now hate Draco because of what he did to Hermione, well... keep reading....

And for those of you who guessed what Hermione's brilliant plan is... keep reading!!! ;P

And I apologize in advance if anyone thinks that this chapter is sappy, predictable, or out-of-character. Feel free to tell me your opinions... or, for that matter, tell me if your teacher's face popped up while reading this (for those of you who are now chained to school like me). ;)

**Chapter Ten: For You**

Draco Malfoy stalked down the hall, finding it very difficult to ignore the snickers and jeers of people around him, and all the nasty looks thrown his way.

"Could you taste the mud in her blood, Malfoy?" a student jeered. Everyone laughed, and Malfoy just closed his eyes, forcing himself to move on and not look at the student.

If he looked at him, he might just hex him.

"Was Parkinson not enough for your desires, mate?" another snickered, and everyone laughed.

Malfoy just growled low in his throat, almost like an animal, and forced his way through a wall of leering, laughing students.

He had to force a cold look upon his face, of otherwise Draco Malfoy might have just broke down.

His heart was still thudding painfully from his words with Hermione. He hated himself. His blood pulsed with anger at his utter stupidity, his cruelty. Draco would gladly go leap off a building at the moment.

The pureblood was hopeless. He had never before so desperately wanted to be someone, anyone, else. He felt utterly trapped and helpless in this disgusting body, and he hated it more than anything in the world right now. How could he have done that to her? How? The girl who walked in his dreams... the girl he cherished over even his father.... _his father_.... he would stab

Draco with his walking stick the moment he saw him again, Draco knew it. He'd kick him, torture him, shout at him...

Draco had lied to Hermione. He loved her. Merlin, it was amazing that he could feel this strongly about someone else. He loved her more fiercely, more passionately, than he had ever loved anyone.

But he had to lie to her. He _had_ to. His whole life was ruined, and there was no chance he would ever find happiness again. Why should he be selfish and drag Hermione, the girl he loved, into this mess he called a life? To save them both from further humiliation, tears, anger, and any kind of hostility in any form (particularly his father), Draco had lied to her.

He had done so very well, too. It had made his heart stop to see Hermione's frozen look of horror when he told her that he never cared about her. _Merlin, _that had been hard. Harder than anything he had ever experienced.

Draco wondered what the hell he was going to do now. His House disowned him, Snape hated him, Hermione probably hated him now, and his father would want his head on a silver platter.  
There was literally no point to life. It was over.

He felt overwhelmed with his churning feelings, and felt disgusted, like he might throw up.

Maybe, he thought, I can change my name, die my hair, leave my parents, and start a shop in Diagon Alley. A broom shop. Yes, that seemed like the only way to go.

Of course, there was also the other choice- going to his dorm and turning his wand around and screaming Avada Kedavra, but he didn't want to kill himself.

Merlin, he was such a _bloody_ coward.

Draco didn't want to kill himself because, if he did, he'd probably never see Hermione's beautiful face again. Even like this, he had the sliver of a chance of seeing her again. But dead? He was more likely to kiss a cat's bum than see Hermione again, even from a distance.

Furiously stalking down the hallway, Draco was blind with red rage, and he didn't see Potter and Weasley until the last second, when he had a near fatal collision with them.

"Watch it, you- oh." Weasley blinked at Draco as he took a step back, glaring at him and Potter.

"Yeah. Me. Get out of the way!" Draco snarled.

"You bastard," Weasley said quietly.

"Knock it off, Ron," Potter muttered.

"I know, okay?" Draco hissed. "I know I'm a bloody, selfish bastard. Now would you just get _out_ of my way before I hex you?"

"Not unless I hex you first!" Ron snarled, whipping out his wand. Draco groped for his, then let his hand fall at his side.

"Whatever, Weasley," he said dully. "I don't care anymore."

Potter stared at Draco incredulously. "You're not going to hex us? Here's your chance- no teachers, just you and us!"

"I'm not going to hurt you, Potter, now _get_!" Draco snarled.

"Shut _up_, you bloody ferret!" Weasley shrieked, pointing his wand at Draco's face. Draco jumped back, startled.

"What do you want with me?" Draco snapped, eying Weasley's wand fearfully.

"What did you do with Hermione?" he screeched. Harry glanced quickly at Draco and back at Weasley.

"Ron, seriously, you're mad, he probably doesn't-"

"WHERE IS HERMIONE?" Weasley bellowed, completely ignoring Potter.

Draco's heart began to thud uneasily. "You- you mean she's not with you?"

"Of course she's not, you prat, because you took her!" Weasley shrieked. Potter's eyes snapped towards Draco, and a look of bitterness was on his face.

"What the- you're mad, Weasel, I didn't kidnap your precious Granger! I- I left her awhile ago, back in Myrtle's bathroom... _she's not with you?_"

"She's _not_- what did you say to her?" Potter growled.

Malfoy goggled at him, looking between the two furious faces. "I- I just-" He felt furious shame at stammering in front of Harry bloody Potter, but all he could think of was Hermione. Surely she would have gone to her closest friends after their little _chat?_

"The- er- library? She took a walk? She went to see a teacher?" Draco asked quickly, mind racing.

"We've already looked!" Ron hissed, wand still pointed at Draco, and it wasn't wavering.

Draco blinked, shocked. "Well- okay, maybe she's just alone in the halls! She's not a child, you know, she- she can walk off by herself-"

"If you hurt her, I swear to God I'll blast your head off!" Ron spat.

"_No,_ if you've hurt her, I'll rip off your hands and feet and make you eat them!" Potter snarled.

"Don't go blowing up on me!" Draco exclaimed, shaking. "I don't think-"

He stopped suddenly.

Potter and Weasley blinked and glanced around.

There was a noisy screaming going off. All three boys spun around, wondering what the heck could possibly be happening now.

Without warning, a wave of first-years rounded the corner and poured past them, looking frantic. Weasley furiously grabbed one by his collar and shoved his face close to the boy's.

"What's going on?" he shouted over the sudden loud noise.

The boy looked quite frightened at being handled so roughly, and he squeaked, "I d- don't really kn- know. I m- mean, a g- ghost was screaming that th- there's a student on the tower... everyone's gone b- berserk-"

"Student on the tower?" Potter asked sharply, staring at the boy. "That's nothing new, why is everyone freaking out?"

The boy gulped, his eyes wide. "Th- the teachers th- think that the student will j- jump!"

Weasley let the boy go, and the first-year scrambled away, racing after his peers.

Draco's mind was racing wildly as he put two and two together. Slowly, he looked up at Potter in horror.

"Hermione," he croaked.

***

Hermione stared blankly down at the Hogwarts grounds. It was very, very far away from up here... in fact, everyone looked like blots of ink from here.

A cold breeze riffled Hermione's hair, and she swallowed hard, trying not to think.

She was on top of a tower that held her dorm room. She had crawled out the window and managed to claw her way up top, but then she was noticed and now everyone was running around, frantic, to see what on earth was going on.

Most of the school was out there, far, far below her. People were calling up at her, probably telling her not to jump, but their words got carried away by the wind. And in any case, Hermione wouldn't have listened.

She knew exactly what needed to be done.

This burning, raging, biting pain that infected every inch of her body was incurable. Nothing could make the pain go away while she lived. Moving on after Draco's shocking revelation was impossible.

There was one way to get rid of the pain.

She could die, and in death, life would be forgotten. She could exist without pain, without memories of Draco and his betrayal to her. She could be in bliss.  
All she had to do was jump.

Hermione swallowed hard again. She was quite in the wrong mind- she was not Hermione. The wild pain that Draco had caused her seemed to have engulfed her, and was now controlling her every action. It was the pain telling her to jump, the pain that made her get up here, the pain that had given her the idea in the first place.

But Hermione didn't care. She knew it was a terribly crazy idea, to even consider killing herself. A shocking blow it would be to Hogwarts, and to all her friends... and family... Hermione cringed, her conflicted mind buzzing. Was this really the right choice? Was she over-reacting? Would the pain ever leave, even in death?

Trembling, Hermione took a deep breath and forced herself to look over the edge of the tower.

She gasped and crawled back. All she could hear was the blood rushing in her ears, the wild thudding of her heart, the screams from down below.

She was sitting, and the rough shingles scraped painfully against Hermione's hands, and she trembled, tears leaking down her face. She was in so much pain... but surely... sure this would stop it... she'd forget everything...

Hermione shut her eyes tight and slowly, ever so slowly, began to stand up.

Shaking horribly, wondering if she would loose her balance so high up, Hermione forced herself to open her eyes, and she let out a strangled cry.

No, no, no, no...

Tears falling quickly now, Hermione felt her chest heave with a silent sob as she took a very tentative step towards the end of the tower. It was slanted, and standing was enough of a challenge, never mind walking. She had to be very careful not to slip... if she was truly going to end her life like this, she didn't want to accidentally slip...

Finally, after several long minutes, Hermione found herself on the very edge of the tower. She was sobbing now, feeling her whole body numb, and she felt blank. She was nothing. She was nothing. Everything was nothing to her now. She would die and be in bliss.

She was on the brink of agony. Draco broke her apart, and there was no possible way of living after that. Hermione told herself this for perhaps the billionth time before biting her lip fiercely, wondering how this day could have possible gone so haywire...

It seemed like only seconds ago she had been talking to Ginny and Harry, prepared to face the inevitable, ready to start moving on.

Hermione felt like there was a stone clogging her throat. She was empty, hollow... Nothing. She was nothing.  
_  
Now. Do it now. It's perfect, just a little crack before she was released of her pain..._

But do I really want this? Hermione cringed at what an upheaval she would cause. Her parents would be devastated... Ron and Harry would probably go crazy... and the whole of Hogwarts would be stunned by her tragic death... Draco would realize what a fool he'd been, and wish more than anything that he'd never spoken so harshly to her...

But no. He would never feel that. Because he hated her. He had played her all along. His cold words came ringing back to her._ I was just using you._

As if his words were hands, forcing Hermione over the tower, Hermione's eyes blazed suddenly, and she felt herself sag as she shut her eyes tight and stepped over the edge.

For fleeting seconds, Hermione was suspended into nothingness. She felt complete terror and shock at her decision clawing at her heart. _No! No!_ She didn't want this! She didn't want to die!  
She had been over-reacting! NO!

It was too late- things were wildly blurred, she was falling quickly... this was really the end... _Good bye, Hogwarts... Good bye, Draco..._

Hermione felt like a pathetic rag-doll as she splayed out in the air, tossing and whirling as the crowd screamed.

There was a sudden cry that was very close to her ear that made Hermione's heart do a somersault, a voice that was hauntingly familiar, the one that had made her step off of the tower...

"HERMIONE!" Draco screamed, and there was a _whooshing_ sound as Hermione felt someone grasp her collar and hoist her out of the air. Suddenly, she was in strong arms, and there was a stick holding her up. Air was rushing at her face, and she screamed. The crowd screamed, too, but there were cheers as well...

"What the- D- Draco? What-" Hermione gasped, the cold air slicing at her face wildly, as she slowly realized that Draco Malfoy had her firmly gripped in his arms, and he was riding a broom. It was carrying Hermione as well, and she felt shocked.

She was saved.

Tears began to leak down her face, and she didn't care about her utter confusion as to why Draco, the boy who hated her, had suddenly saved her from the wrong ending to her story.  
_  
She was saved!_

She was so overjoyed that she let out a whoop, and tears spurted wildly now. "Draco! Draco, thank you! I- you- I didn't want that- oh my god, I can't believe it-"

Hermione was back, the real Hermione. She felt lighter than air as Draco soared over the heads of the cheering crowd, and she knew that she was fine. Hell, she felt great, considering she'd almost killed herself.

_She was SAVED!_

The whole thing, which seemed to have taken a century, had really only taken several seconds, and Draco continued to swoop around the magnificent castle, looking for a place to land.

Finally, a balcony came into sight, and he soared towards it. At last, they touched down, and went rolling off of the broom.

Hermione came to a stop and gasped, vision blurred and head spinning, and she slowly propped herself up, gasping again.

Draco had rolled over to the other side of the balcony, and he shook himself, dropping the broomstick, and jumped up, racing over to Hermione. He kneeled by her, face flushed, breath coming in gasps.

"Hermione!" he gasped. "I am such an- an idiot! I'm so sorry- I had no idea- I never thought you'd do that-"

Hermione's heart began to resume to its normal speed as she stared into Draco's face, which was whiter than ever. "Draco- why- why the heck did you save me-"

"Because I love you!" Draco blurted, grasping her hand.

Hermione blinked, staring at him in shock. "What- you- I don't-" she stammered stupidly, mind reeling from confusion. This had been one _hell_ of a day for her.

"I lied to you!" Draco exclaimed, eyes blazing. "I- I thought it would be better if you and I just- just separated, we're too different! I was a jerk, Hermione, please, I know! I hate myself for  
doing that to you! I'm so, so sorry- Hermione, I love you. Merlin, I was terrified I'd never be able to tell you that again-"

"Draco," Hermione said slowly, blinking rapidly. "You- I can't believe this. You are such an idiot!"

"I know!" Draco exclaimed, helping her sit up and gazing into her eyes. "Hermione," he said softly, "I have always loved you. I know that we used to be enemies, and it's pretty weird that I'd suddenly love you, but I truly do! I would have _never_ said those things back there if I'd known you'd- you'd try to jump off a tower! I had no clue! But I found out about the- the student on the roof- and I grabbed my broom and got up here. Hermione... I... I thought I'd lost you!"

Hermione stared at him, flabbergasted. "So you lied to me? Everything you said in the bathroom was all a big _lie?"_

Draco swallowed hard and nodded.

To his shock, Hermione reached out and in one swift movement, slapped him. Really hard, too, and it gave a biting sting. Draco clutched at it, eyes wide. "_Ow! _What the-"

But then, Hermione's gaze softened. "That was for being such a moron," she whispered, reaching up and stroking his pale blond hair. "And this," she murmured, "is for being my hero."  
Slowly, she dipped her face very closer to Draco's, and pressed her lips against his.

Draco's eyes closed, and Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck, his hands slipping to her shoulders. They kissed again and again, and finally drew back, faces so close that Hermione could feel Draco's warm breath.

"I love you, Draco, even though you are a complete idiot." Hermione smiled slightly at him.

Draco's face broke into a huge smile. He had almost lost Hermione. For a short, terrible moment, he had thought she would die, and he'd never see her again. And the thought of losing her had convinced Draco that nothing worse could happen. They would have struggled, but they'd get past them. All he knew right now was that the girl was was madly in love with had just said that she loved him, even though he didn't deserve her in the least.

"I love you too, Hermione," he said softly, and they touched their foreheads together, grinning, as someone used their wand and shot off fireworks high in the sky, the beautiful colors screeching and sparkling as they lit up the sky.

Down below them, the whole of Hogwarts had found out where Draco had taken Hermione, and everyone was cheering, clapping, and hooting. Among the many faces of the crowd were  
Harry, Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Luna, who were all clapping and whistling for Hermione. They'd never really understand why she loved Draco, but she was alive, and she was happy. To them, that was all that mattered.

Most all of the Houses were screaming and whistling and clapping, and even some of the teachers joined in. And off to the side of the crowd were Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy. Crabbe and Goyle looked rather dumbfounded, and Pansy looked furious. Slowly, Crabbe began clapping, too, but Goyle shoved him hard in the ribs.

And up on the balcony, Hermione and Draco didn't even hear the crowd or the exploding fireworks, because, as far as they were considered, they were in their own happily ever after.

***blows into tissue* Th- that was so sw- sweet!!!**

lol... just kidding. Well, I know that last line was a little cheesy, but it's a good ending to a love story...

Wow. I feel pretty sad... it's really over.

So a final thanks to you all.... *passes out ice-cream to everyone*... and with that, I bid you farewell. ( bid? _bid?_ What century are we in, again? XD )

Luv ya,

~~~Sarafina~~~


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